Falling Deep
by FallenFromParadise
Summary: Destiny is a tricky little thing that can even go against fate itself to change the paths of two people who were never supposed to meet. What can you do when your feelings go against the decisions of Gods? Will you give up and live a life covered in doubt, or will you stand firmly beside your heart and do whatever it takes to keep hold of that warm loving hand? Rom/Com/Dram
1. Book I: The Prologue

Falling Deep

Summry: When Juniper Fallie (aspiring rock goddess, current delivery girl) delivers an order to a rickety shake in the woods she stumbles upon a world of color, music, and peace. "Don't lose yourself, you're falling deep and I'm worried just how low you'll steep. If this carries on you'll soon find us all gone. My friend, you're falling deep.."

* * *

Another Saturday, another pizza to be delivered in some strange part of the city she usually made an attempt to stay away from; and then after that an even longer drive into the woods where she hadn't known was there. A passing car drove past with their high lights on, temporally blinding her, and she was forced to slow to a crawl in front of a large group of bad asses that looked at her like she was meat on a hook. She kept her eyes glued ahead as she quickly sped up, not wanting to end up on the next day's obituary listings.

She accidentally drove past what could have easily been a cement block with a door and a few windows twice before she realized it was the listed address. She pulled over and quickly gathered the top pizza warmer and stepped out of the car, keys firmly in hand under the pizza and tucked uncomfortably between each finger. When she made it to the door she gave it a sharp rap with her knuckles and waved at a peeking eye when the curtain shifted a bit at the window; a moment later a balding man opened the door and laughed, "Damn, bitch, you knock like a cop; you know that?"

Juniper's lips twitched before she pulled them back in forced amusement and laughed, "Nah, I get a nicer reaction from people when I knock on their door with a pizza instead of a search warrant." The man laughed harder and handed over thirty dollars before telling her to keep the change and slamming the door in her face. Looking down at the receipt she walked back to her beat up clunker car with the mismatched parts and sped off, keeping the annoyance from her face until she was far enough to screw up nose and pout at the twenty-seven cent tip. Unless the next house in Bumfucked Egypt gave her a ten dollar tip she was looking at another dollar deal mean for supper, otherwise she'd be dipping into her rent money and the last time she'd done that she'd immediately regretted her actions in spite of having a full refrigerator.

Her landlord had, thankfully, forgiven her enough to make payments... Provided she also pay the ten percent interested for each month the bill carried over; which hadn't sounded like a bad deal at the time but now set her back another hundred and fifty a month. The small apartment was worth it, though, if the rumors of it previously belonging to the one and only woman to hit the top ten chart for five constitutive years with two or more songs, Clare Davis. Juniper's idle and aspiration, the single reason she'd ignored both friends and family alike to chase her impossible dream inside a pit hole of nightmare and self destruction.

Everything was okay, though, because the life she lead now was only a temporary. Her life was glitter, lights, and sound with her name being screamed by thousands of rapturous and adoring fans all wanting to hear HER sound. The time between there and where she was now didn't matter, it only mattered that she persevere until then, and if she had to eat a few stale mystery meat burgers along then so be it. Determination had her hands gripping the hard plastic of her steering wheel as she spotted the small trail where she'd been directed to go down and sighed, pulling along side the road and getting out of her car to consider it critically.

There was no doubt about it, her Patchwork monster of a car was to large to even think fitting through the trees was possible. Thankfully she'd tied her bike on her trunk for situations like these and niftily took it down, strapping the pizza onto the back and arming herself with mace and her panic alarm before taking off. She only had ten minutes to get the pizza to the client before the thirty-minute-or-less deal took effect and she found herself seventeen dollars and eight six cents short on payday. It was difficult to navigate the shadowy path and the gravel didn't help with her steering, but she kicked her feet against the pedals as fast as she could anyhow. She skidded more than once, just barely managing to catch herself and rebalanced before being torn from the seat and over the handlebars.

When the road started to get grassier the farther she went she wasn't sure to be thankful or worried, however the trees remained a good distance apart and close enough together to easily decipher where the path was. It took her several moments until she finally came to a large cleared area with a small shack in the center. Tree stumps circled the property and she had felt eery sensation of hidden eyes watching her every move the second her bike rolled in. She breathed heavily and stepped off her bike, walking it between the tree stumps and up to the rotting wooden steps before unstrapping the pizza and tiredly walking up to the door and giving it her standard businesslike rap.

She waited a bit, before frowning and knocking against the door with the sinking realization that it had been a crank order. She stamped her foot, not surprised at all when the wooden boards broke from the sudden impact, and as she pulled her foot from the rotting POS stairs and decided to jump off the side rather then test her continued luck with the steps. It was only a five foot jump, but as the balls of her feet hit the ground she found herself tearing through the dirt like it was wet tissue paper and felt the panic of being buried alive as her view of the woods came to a sudden and startling end.

* * *

Once-ler road back to his campsite, tired and covered in the squishy remains of tomato pulp and seeds after a surprisingly unsuccessful day. He was so sure that someone would see the potential of his amazing and revolutionary invention, however the people in town had regarded him like he was some sort of singing and dancing target. How could they even go so far as to throw a tomato at him? He was trying to show them something that would change how they lived their lives forever; who couldn't want something that had a thousand different uses?

As he neared his large tent he seen the Lorax sitting at the stump trying to teach a pack of tiny fuzzy bears how to play poker. At least he wasn't the only one having a crummy day, "No! I told you they aren't food, spit them out already!" he snapped and reached over to jerk an ace of diamonds from the Swomee's beak before turning to look over his shoulder, "How's sales today, Beanpole?"

"Don't you worry about sales, Mustache, I've just got to spread the word and soon my thneed'll be in every store across the world." Once-ler replied, brushing a bit of tomato off his shoulder to reveal a large red stain, "Drat, you think that will come out?"

"Not in this life time, buddy." The Lorax answered through a laugh while he collected the cards from the Bar-ba-loots and Swomee Swams, "So how about some flap jacks to celebrate the failure of your ridiculous invention?"

Once-ler frowned at the furry orange critter and was about to tell him of the newest and most useful thing a thneet could do that involved nothing but a quick bend and a shove when a shrill and piercing scream interrupted the calm tranquility of the forest. A flock of startled Swomee's flew from their perches, and Once-ler frowned at the area, "What do you suppose that was?" he asked, looking down for the Lorax's answer. However his new friend was already scampering off to see for himself and, after a short internal struggle between curiosity and caution, he found himself soon running after.

When the Lorax finally stopped running, coming up to one of the many truffula trees Once-ler caught up to him, breathing heavily as he stood a few paces behind the mystical fur ball, "You know, for being so short you run outstandingly fast." he complimented though heaving breath, bending to prop his hands against his knees and tried to catch his breath.

"This ain't funny, Beanpole, things like this aren't suppose to happen." The Lorax stated, worrying tinging his voice as he circled around something laying motionless in the thick carpet of springy bright green grass. The little beast shook himself, puffing out his mustache importantly and pointed at the object, "Pick her up and bring her back to the tent."

Once-ler's head jerked to attention. Her? Looking a bit closer he could see locks of golden blonde hair tangled in the grass, "Is that a girl?" he asked, shock causing his voice to raise a pitch. He wasn't good with girls, never had been; even his mother liked to joke about his future life as a male spinster to her friends. He shook his head quickly from side to side and stepped back, "I can't have a girl in my house, Lorax, she'll ruin everything."

"Just get her, would you? This is kind of important, kid, and I don't have the time to argue with you on this point." The Lorax grabbed his tail and began floating through the air as a bridge of light formed around him, "I'll be back as soon as I can, if she wakes up before I get back do NOT let her leave!"

When the forest guardian disappeared behind some clouds Once-ler found himself alone with the prone woman and sighed; edging closer and closer until he could fully see the woman laying in the grass and nearly had a heart attack... She wasn't only just a girl, but a pretty one as well. If there was one thing he was worse at than dealing with a girl it was even being around a pretty girl. "Lorax, come back!" he shouted at the sky, wide eyes looking frantically for any sign that the little guy would reappear, "Seriously, fuzz ball, I can't do this!"

However after a minute of waiting his hope dimmed and he looked resolutely at the girl near his feet; despite being pretty he didn't see anything so unusual about her... Not that pretty girls were unusual or that it was unusual for her to be pretty... He smacked himself in the head to get rid of the nonsense thoughts he knew he would probably blurt out at her later and knelt down to gather her in his arms. The slight warm weight against his chest had his heart thundering noisily before he even took his first step, and by the time he reached his tent and set her atop his bed he was sure it would just give out from over use or something.

Now he just stood there, staring down at her and wondering how long she would wake up and how long it would take before he made a giant ass out of himself. She suddenly moaned and shifted a bit on the mattress and Once-ler nearly tripped over himself before deciding to make some coffee and drink it at the small table he used for eating. He was nervously sipping his coffee when the Lorax finally came back, frowning a bit but otherwise unworried about Once-ler's new and unwanted guest.

"I can't believe you left me alone with her!" Once-ler snapped and the little orange guardian climbed up the other chair and sat in it across from him, "She could have woken up and thought I kidnapped her or something! Things like that happen, you know, and people go to _jail_!"

"Stop spazzing, Beanpole, you're not going to go to jail for helping an unconscious girl you found laying in the forest." The Lorax responded, leaning back comfortably in the simple wooden chair and sighing, "You're still making pancakes, right?" Once-ler gawked at him, "What?"

"There's a girl in my bed whom I've never seen before who will eventually wake up because you," he jabbed a finger against his furry friends chest to emphasize his words, "made it sound like if I didn't something terrible would happen and the only thing you say is stop spazzing where's my pancakes?" Once-ler threw his arms in the air and deflating dramatically in his chair, looking at the creature before him in a silent plea for some sort of answer for the predicament he was in.

The Lorax just looked at him, "You can't possibly be that scared of her." he finally choked out, obviously fighting off laughter, "She looks about as dangerous as a house cat, actually not even that, at least house cats have claws." he snorted a laugh and continued chuckling when he noticed the grayish blue eyes staring at him seriously. "Oh fine kid, here's how it is;" he started, waving an orange hand in the air as he spoke, "The girl tripped into a bi-dimensional tear between her world and ours and might have to stick around for a while with the other deities figure out where they went wrong."

"What?" Once-ler screwed up his face and turned to give an odd look to the girl behind him still resting on his mattress, "Wait..." he shook his head and blinked back at the Lorax, "She's from where?"

"I dunno, some place called Arch I guess." The Lorax shrugged and arched an eyebrow, watching in amusement as the human struggled to understand. "It's not something that can't be fixed, but it is a pretty big deal so you might want to buck up," he gave a large grin as Once-ler finally caught up with the meaning behind the words, "I'm going to have to keep an eye on the girl."

* * *

The sound of voices first stirred Juniper from her near comatose sleep, her eyes hazily cracking open to see odd bits of furniture she didn't recognize and felt the first icy cold bought of fear freeze the blood in her veins. "You can't keep her here, this is my house!" one practically yelped, the sound of something being knocked over clattered loudly and she couldn't stop her body from jerking in surprise automatically.

Thankfully it went unnoticed and another voice responded in a pushy tone, "Well where else are we going to stick her? Like it or not, Beanpole, she's staying with you until we can get this mess sorted out you've got yourself a pretty little roommate, try to get along." Juniper's eyes widened, had she been kidnapped? Didn't they know a delivery girl was the poorest type of ransom? Or had they stolen her to sale as some weird type of sex slave? She spotted what looked to be a large wooden fly swatter and tried to scoot off the bed without being noticed.

"Hi there, you sleep well?" An orange monkey like thing suddenly peeked over the mattress and she immediately gave a startled scream, rolling away from him and awkwardly falling off the other side of the bed to land in a heap on the floor. "That was possibly the single rudest way anyone's ever reacted at first sight of me."

She groaned and spotted two long thick metal needles that looked dangerous enough to be taken seriously just under a bed and snatched them in either hand; "Get away from me!" she snapped, swinging widely. She heard more then seen a dark haired man hurriedly backing out of her reach as her eyes danced about looking for an exit. She'd be damned before she gave up without a struggle, there had been times when the news talked about heroic victims who saved themselves all the time! Sort of.

"I mean it, stay away!" She suddenly spotted the door and heaved a silent prayer of thanks to her guardian angel and sprinted for it. Jerking it open she suddenly froze, staring into a landscape of color so bright and soft that it left her struggling for breath. It was like standing in the world of an artist who'd carefully selected only the warmest and friendliest colors to use. Tall golden tree trunks that reached majestically into the softest bits of fluff she'd ever seen that clashed beautifully with the perfect clear blue sky. A bit away there were even fluffy little brown bear cubs frolicking about happily, not fazed at all that a human had suddenly entered with two long stabby things clutched in her white knuckled fists.

"Well it seems something finally caught your attention." The bossy voice stated smartly behind her back, "Must be quite a difference to get that much of a reaction, wonder what your place is like." she turned slightly to look back into the house at the small orange animal like thing that was talking to her. She blinked at him slowly, not understanding anything aside from the fact that she had no idea what was happening. "Come back inside and talk a bit with us, I think Beanpole's fixing to make some pancakes."

She frowned, her eyes going from the little orange thing to the tall handsome man thing that stood beside it. "I'm hallucinating?"

His eyes widened, "You are? Well you might have hit your head probably." his eyes widened a bit more and his face flooded with color, "Yeah, you probably hit your head." her lips quirked a bit in amusement as he fixed his sentence. She hadn't seen a shy boy since she'd moved to the city to land herself a contract. "I've got coffee cups."

"Yeah," the orange thing joked tauntingly, "and it's got coffee in them, too." the man glared down at it before pushing his hands deep in his pockets and knocking it over with his foot.

She looked around the brightly colored forest with it's living breathing teddy bears that scampered around cutely even in the presence of humans and stepped back into the house. The door shut behind her and she jumped, bearing her stabby things at the man behind her who jumped back in response, "I'm not going to hurt you!" he yelped, "So don't hurt me, either!"

"Listen Doll-Face," The orange thing spoke up and her eyes darted over to the tall table behind her, "I am the Lorax and I speak for the trees." She stared at him like he'd lost his mind and he continued on, "I'm also in charge of the Bar-ba-loots and-"

She suddenly heaved a sigh and laughed, her arms coming down to relax at her sides, "Oh I see, I'm dreaming." she elbowed the man behind her, grinning in amusement, "You know, for a second there it didn't even cross my mind?" shaking her head she laughed again, sighing and shaking her head at her self, "Wow, I thought I'd grown out of wanting to live in a cartoon; guess I'm still a kid at heart."

The orange thing coughed a bit and she looked over at it, "I'm afraid this ain't a dream, Doll-Face, you stumbled into an unnoticed tear in your dimension. You're gonna be here for a little while until things can get fixed up, wish I could tell you more but it's not part of my department." she laughed at that, she had some wicked imagination to have unconsciously thought him up. "Don't worry, though, they nearly always figure things out before someone dies."

The man gaped at the little creature in shock, "She could _die_?"

"It was a joke, Beanpole, don't take everything so seriously, I thought you were making pancakes." The man rolled his eyes, but stepped over to his counter and began gathering ingredients. The thing looked back at her and waved leaned forward, "I don't know if they've got pancakes or not where you come from, but I'm telling you right now there's nothing that tastes better." she arched a brow at that and came over to sit at the table, setting her staby things onto the wooden surface. She and the orange creature watched the man make up the batter to the fried cakes before pouring out the buttermilk yellow into even sized disks on a skillet. The second it touched the sizzling butter the room nearly burst with the sweet unique aroma and she covered a laugh; she didn't realize she'd liked pancakes so much.

He started flipping them into the air in precise arches, getting three or four spins spins with toss and Juniper found herself applauding appreciatively of his skill. He brought a large stack to the table and set up two sets of strange dishware and flatware before both she and the orange thing. "You not eating, kid?"

"Wouldn't be able to if I tried." Beanpole denied, taking the last chair and sitting beside her nervously and she grinned, shooting a look at the mustached animal guy across from her. She could practically feel the tension pouring out of him in waves of discomfort and, if she hadn't found it so impossibly adorable, might have felt a little bad for him.

She tried to pat his arm comfortingly, but only ended up bursting into a long fit of laughter when he'd jumped from his chair holding his heart and looking at her like she'd grown three heads. Of course, she had tried to indirectly impale him less then an hour previous. Keeping that in mind she managed to regain control of herself and slowly lifted them to him, "Here, you can have these back." she offered.

He reached over and she dropped them into his open palm and the orange thing laughed a little mockingly, "So here's the deal, you'll stay with Beanpole until things are sorted out. As you can see he's excitable, so try to take it easy on him." he expertly selected four pancakes and poured syrup over crisp light brown disks, "I know you think this is a dream, but it won't make it any less real if you ran off a cliff thinking you can fly. So try to avoid doing that."

"No cliff diving, check." She nodded, giving the little beastie a thumbs up.

He looked sternly at her before quickly demolishing the pancakes on his plate, she looked up at the awkward man and tilted her head. It was rare for her to have lucid dreams and she didn't see any reason why she couldn't have fun. Be a participator! "I'm sorry for threatening you with your, um... Nails?"

"Knitting needles." He corrected somewhat defensively, and after a moment and she blinked at him, "Knitting can be a man thing." she nodded quickly, trying to keep a straight face, however she must have failed because he crossed his arms and looked at her seriously, "Real men knit."

"At least the smart ones do." she answered smartly, giving him a large smile which he slowly returned. She reached over to him with her hand out, "I'm Juniper Fallie; aspiring musician, current delivery girl. Your name's Bean Pole?"

He accepted the handshake, but before he could say anything the orange thing spoke up, apparently finished with his share for the moment, "He's the _wonderful_ Once-ler, creator of the thneed, the single most useless contraption ever thought up."

Once-ler shot a playful glare at the small furry dude, "It's the exact opposite, Lorax." he turned to Juniper and pulled what looked like a long pink scarf from around his neck and held it out, "A thousand different uses, each one better than the last! Made from the finest material possible this handy little thing can be a scarf, a hat," he twirled it about and placed it on Juniper's head and she laughed, "a table cloth, and a shirt; and that's just naming off the popular uses."

She patted the thneed on her head before laughing, "How about a muzzle?"

"Oh that too, of course." Once-ler answered before he understood the joke and rolled his eyes, removing the thneed from her head and hanging it on a hook, "You'll be _begging_ me for it soon enough." he suddenly went into a coughing fit and grabbed his cooling coffee to take a huge swallow. Both Juniper and the orange fuzz watched as he turned a strange shade of purple.

"If you do eventually make me one I think I'll prefer mine in lavender." She answered seriously, leaning forward on the table and resting her chin in her hands, "I suppose it is actually kind of cute, though, and it felt so soft!"

Lorax huffed in his seat, "Made from my truffula tree that you viciously hacked down without a second thought." Once-ler rolled his eyes and nodded as though he'd already heard it a thousand times before, and who knew, maybe he had. Juniper shrugged and reached forward, not really caring who cut what down for any reason.

There was a few scratches at his door and he excused himself to answer it and reveal the same teddy bears that had been playing outside, "Oh, you guys ready for bed, huh? I suppose it is getting dark." He stepped back and allowed them in, "Where's everyone else, not wanting to sleep inside tonight?" The smallest teddy bear shrugged and he laughed, "Great, more room for us, Pip." the little bear ran around the tall man's ankles twice before darting inside and jumping up on the bed, snuggling into the covers as.

"That's so cute I could get a cavity just looking." Juniper sighed happily the little bear, Pip, peeked over at her and mawed, she squealed in response, "Nite, nite little teddy bear Pip."

* * *

The next day Once-ler woke up on the edge of his bed, nearly pushed entirely off by the small pack of Bar-ba-loots that had apparently taken over in the middle of the night. He yawned and stretched before stumbling out of bed and removing his night clothes and slipping into his day set as fluidly as always before he remembered the female guest that he'd left sleeping on his sofa the night before. He blushed darkly as his eyes immediately flicked towards the couch and heaving a great sigh of relief to see the slim blonde curled onto the burnt orange fabric.

He was tempted to do as he wanted and set off for town to try and sell his thneeb to the residents, but if he were honest he was curious about the pretty little blonde that was exceedingly more dangerous then she appeared. She seemed nice enough, if not a bit determined to win Pipsqueak's affection from him which, honestly, probably wasn't going to work. He grinned a bit and turned and set a pot of coffee to brew before turning to fix up a few dozen pancakes and had just finished preparing the batter when Juniper walked up beside him wearing a set of his old cow pajamas that were several sizes to large, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and looking like something a teenaged boy would want hidden in the back of his closet.

"I thought I'd have woken up before I woke up." She joked, however there was a slight bit of worry edging her voice and he got the distinct impression that her little 'this is a dream' bubble didn't have long before it popped. "Oh, you made coffee! You're the second greatest person in the world after myself!"

"Hey, it's to early to start a battle of ego's." The Lorax's voice spoke up and the two turned around to see him emerge through the large pile of sleeping bears, "And there's to many bar-ba-loots!" he sounded far crankier then he looked, though, so Once-ler turned back around and didn't listen to any more of the old guardian's list of complaints.

Flipping the cakes into the air again he smugly listened to Juniper once again applaud, setting the first stack on the table before turning to the blonde who had dragged one of the dining chairs over to sit at the stove as he cooked. "How many do you want?" he asked, spinning his flipper expertly between his fingers.

She grinned, "I don't eat breakfast, don't mind me." she denied, "I'll take some coffee, though, where's your mugs?" he pointed to a cabinet and she took herself down a cup, "Want one?" he nodded and she took down another, bringing both cups over to him and holding them out as he poured, "So what's your plans for the day?"

He gestured to the hanging thneed, "I'm going to sell my thneed, of course." he answered proudly, a large grin in place as he thought about his future, "It's going to be big, you know, everyone in the world's going to need a thneed."

She nodded, "Well it's certainly got a great name." she complimented, a sweet giggle that had him smiling wider, "Mind if I come along? I want to see your marketing strategy." she was stirring in some milk and sugar to her coffee and he slid his over for the additions as well. He supposed he could take her, it sounded harmless enough.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea." The Lorax said behind them and Once-ler looked over his shoulder to see him chewing on a mouth full of pancakes, "She doesn't know anything about this place or how people here work."

"And I might not have that much time to see it so I should go when the first opportunity allows me to!" she lifted her cup to the hanging thneed and grinned, "Besides, maybe I can help sell some thneeds, women tend to listen to women about fashion and you said that can be a shirt, didn't you?" Once-ler's eyes light up and she grinned her victory at the Lorax who grunted, already admitting his loss. It only took a half an hour to finish up the pancakes and she used the time to slip into the tight jeans she'd been wearing and molded one of his thneeds into a something called a halter top.

It certinly made him halt, that's for sure. The soft purple thneed he'd managed to find for her out of the ten he'd made looked great and, if television had taught him anything it was that it never hurt to have a good looking lady flaunting around in your product. "Wait and see, Lorax, today is a day that everything changes. When we come back every one of them will be sold with orders for more in our pockets."

"Gonna sell some thneeds!" Juniper pumped a fist in the air followed Once-ler to the door where he grabbed his guitar and headed out. They were walking up to Melvin when Juniper suddenly looked up at him, her bared arms behind her back, "So what comes after you sell it, by the way?"

He grinned at her, "Well, for one, I'll be rich!"

"Well, yes, but what are you going to do?" He picked up his saddle bags and placed them on Melvin and she was standing over watching and thought about the question. "My parents are rich, you know, filthy rich; and I can tell you right now that there is a reason it's called filthy."

"If you're parents are rich then why are you a delivery girl?" He asked before taking Melvin's leads and starting the long walk into town. She kept pace beside him and gave a slight shrug in answer and he rolled his eyes, "I'll buy things I need with the money and take care of my family."

She scrunched her nose at him, "I thought the only thing you need is a thneed?" he gave her a playful glare and she grinned, flashing a peace sign, "I'm just saying, money is the last thing that can make you happy, so don't try and rely on it to much because you'll only end up sitting in a nice house with nice things and horrible people."

"That won't happen to me." He assured her, though he wondered just how long it would take for his mother to come into the picture and take over everything the way she usually did. He tried to picture her playing with the bar-ba-loots and swimming with the humming fish, but it was so foreign that only a blank image came to mind. He tightened his hold on the reigns, "After all, none of my friends can talk save for the Lorax, and he's easy enough to ignore when I set my mind to it."

She laughed and he grinned again, trying to shake off a sinking feeling despite the light atmosphere; but he managed from embarrassing himself aside from a brief misplacement with his hands when he helped her onto Melvin. When they entered town she looked like she'd been completely thrown from her element, "Wow, everything's... Oddly different but not to much." she confided, leaning over to point at the buildings, "We mostly just stick to ninety degree angles, this is fabulous! So much more to look at."

He grinned and helped her down, careful to hold onto her hand and waist while she hopped, and once her feet landed on the soft dirt he felt a hollow victory. "We'll set up at the gazebo over there and get started." and not ten minutes later he was strumming his strings with Juniper sitting across the stairs before him. "Everybody needs a thneed," he first started singing and the blonde before him gave him a supportive thumbs up, her foot jiggling along to his strumming, "A fine thing that all people-"

"You know what we need? For you to stop!" A sarcastic voice jeered from the growing crowed. He pushed on, however, intent on getting his point across. His fingers working against the strings he picked up the tune a bit.

"Yeah everybody needs a thneed-"

"You suck!"

"Cuz it's one of the greatest things that I've ever seen, yeah everyone should have a thneed!" A crystal clear melodious voice broke in and his eyes darted down to see that Juniper had adjusted her position a bit. Her arms were propped up behind her and her legs were stretched down the stairs. She grinned at him and he nodded, ripping a new series of notes from his guitar, "Just when I thought that I had seen it all, I tripped around and started to fall. Woke up to see this man standing tall and wearing one of the greatest things I ever saw."

The jeering voices didn't decrease, however her voice soared above the disdainful words and insults without pausing or faltering, "Yeah everybody needs a thneed," he sang with her and she laughed loudly, "You need a hat?"

"It'll help you with that." Juniper joined along, leaning forward and giving a wink, "What about a nice fluffy coat?"

"Whatever floats your boat!" He laughed and reached down, grabbing the blondes hand and helping her up. "You want some really nice socks?"

"Would they match my top?" She shimmied her shoulders and the crowed around them roared approval, "Oh, everybody needs a thneed." she continued on, stepping down each step jauntily, "It can do just whatever you please, come on up and give it a see." grabbing an old woman's hand she twirled her up the stairs and snatched the one he was wearing to tie it into a skirt around the lady's hips, "My, aren't you a tease?"

"Baby, it's got over a thousand ways to help ya through your day." his fingers danced on the strings for a moment and the crowed cheered. He threw a large wink at Juniper and she made a large show of catching it and putting it in her pocket, "Everybody needs a thneed."

"Yeah, everyone needs a thneed." She sang along, taking the old woman's hands and dancing her about the gazebo energetically, "A fine thing-"

"The best of the best!"

"Beats everything, there's no contest!"

"Everyone needs a thneed!" they ended together and threw their arms into the air and were nearly trampled by the stamped of people waving money in the air. Their eyes were bright an excited over his product, each previously mocking face now vying to be the first in what would soon be the single most popular product ever. He looked around and seen Juniper directing a large grin at him before flashing him the victory sign and he tilted his hat back and returned it.

It took nearly two hours to sell what thneeds they had and to accept all advanced orders for more and by the time they were done both of their stomachs were growling. "Let's celebrate with ice cream!" Juniper squealed, spotting a small soft serve shoppe a couple blocks away. She was already dragging him towards Melvin before he grinned, nodding his agreement and happily being dragged to the swirling cone roof.

It wasn't until they sat on the curb outside and happily licked their ice creams that she smirked up at him, "So how's it feel to be the next hottest thing on the market?" she asked, pointing a long slender finger at the people already proudly supporting their thneeds in various ways as they returned to business as usual.

"Fantastic, now I've just got to head back and harvest the material..." He frowned and eyed Melvin's pack that held over a hundred orders, "I might have to get some help, though, I'll never be able to keep up on my own." he'd call his family when they got back to the tent and have them come join his business, it seemed like the best idea.

"Wow, your family must be great to pack everything up just to help you with your business." She grinned and nudged him with her shoulder, "Mine would just take over and do whatever they wanted." she licked her cone and he frowned. His family was an awful lot like that, actually, especially his mother and overbearing aunt, "You should teach me how to make a thneed, then I can help, too. I can't just live off you for free."

He chuckled, "You can be my marketing partner; be in charge of advertising and the such." she laughed and he shook his head, nodding at a little girl that now supported a thneeb umbrella perched cutely over her shoulder, "You think they'd be wearing them if you hadn't joined me up there? I was being eaten alive."

"Well I'm a musical genius, after all." She bragged cockily, eyebrows arching in an 'didn't you know?' look that he snorted at, reaching over to flick her between the eyes. She howled in response and clutched her 'wound', earning them both amused looks from the passerby's that were walking behind them. "I'll never recover, I'm suing you for everything you own!" She leveled a look at Melvin and nodded matter of factly, "Your new name is FancyPants McGuvvin the Thirty-Fifth."

Melvin snorted and shook his head, "I don't think he likes it." she laughed and Once-ler finished his cone, standing up and throwing the trash into one of the colorful tins that sat outside the shop. "Let's head back and tell everyone the good news!"

* * *

The good news didn't sit well with the Lorax, who had completely given up teaching the animal's poker and just let them play whatever card game they wanted. His long mustache twitched as he looked at the grinning goofballs that looked so pleased with themselves they could have peed their pants and not given a flip over it. "You actually sold it?"

"We sold all of them!" Once-ler bragged happily, "With orders for more!" he started walking to the tent behind them with Juniper bouncing at his heals, "I don't even know how I'm going to keep up with the demand-"

"Yep, this is only going to get bigger and bigger!" Juniper interrupted joyfully, "Isn't it great when new friends are successful? When you get all rich and powerful you should buy me an island." he laughed and the Lorax snorted disdainfully at the poor joke.

Dropping the cards onto the mossy rock he and the other animals had been using for a card table he followed the pair inside and shut the door, "What do you mean, 'bigger and bigger'?" the duo looked at him curiously, "I don't want any more humans in this forest, they'll destroy everything."

"Well it's not like he's going to build a factory or anything, fuzzy." She said comfortingly, kneeling down and patting his head gently, "Trust your friends a little bit, okay?"

"We're not friends." He humphed, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the girl, "I have to speak for the tress, they've got no tongues to do it for themselves. How would you feel if your home was invaded by strangers who didn't care about you or your home?"

She frowned back at him, "Who says they don't care? Look at Once-ler, he lives here with everyone happily, doesn't he?"

"He chopped down a tree the second he arrived!" The Lorax snapped, turning his glare over to the fidgeting man who stood awkwardly under his sever gaze, "Remember your promise, not a single tree is to be harmed, do not ruin this place with your 'big' ideas." Once-ler looked at him and nodded and the Lorax stormed back outside to continue his game of cards, leaving the two in the house to think over his words.

Juniper looked over at the dark haired man and grinned, "Hey, don't worry about that!" She bounced up and pushed him to a chair at the table, "You're a big success, a popular hit among everyone, look a bit happier for yourself. He's just worried because he doesn't want anything to change, some people are like that." she searched his cabinets and quickly discovered the ground coffee, grinning and shaking the can over her shoulder.

Once-ler watched her make a pot of coffee and gave her a weak grin as he wondered if maybe the Lorax wasn't right. He doubted his family would care if they had to kill off a few trees in order to line their pockets with money, "He's right, though, not everyone's going to care about cutting down the trees."

Juniper snorted, "Then don't let them, that's the great thing about being boss, Once-ler." She stated, turning and leaning against the sink, "This is your project, your baby; if you just let people walk all over you then you're basically just handing it over." her fingers twisted together and a contemplating look crossed her features, "Just... Make sure you can trust the people you bring in. There's nothing to worry about so long as you trust the people you surround yourself with, after all."

He nodded, relaxing a bit; "Absolutely." he agreed, his eyes going to the phone sitting beside his bed before looking back at the perky blonde grinning at him. He smiled, "Well since I'm the boss I say we take the rest of the day off and celebrate!"

She jumped away from the counter and threw both arms into the air, a large smile on her face as she bounced, "Yay, party time!"

It wasn't long before pancakes started flying and the small house-tent was filled with bar-ba-loots, humming fish, and swomee swams in every nook and cranny. Juniper had taken control of his guitar and was strumming an energetic tune, singing about sunshine and happy days as a couple of the tiny bears danced around in time with her. Even the Lorax seemed to finally come around and was sitting at the table complaining about waiting for his third helping, "I've been waiting for an hour!"

"You've been waiting five minutes." Once-ler corrected with a laugh, setting another large stack in the center of the table that was quickly emptied, "And that's the last of them tonight, guys, we're offically out of flour."

Groans and whines filled the air as he turned away from the stove and reclaimed his beat up guitar from Juniper and flopped down beside her. He watched happily as his little forest friends gorged themselves on his food and Juniper made herself comfortable on his bed, crossing her ankles on the top of the head board with her arms crossed under her head. He strummed the acoustic lazily and she hummed along with the notes, "I once knew a man by the name of Jim, he took me aside and said 'boy let me tell you something'."

"Life's a bit rough, it can really bring you down; but you just remember you've got friends all around." picking up the pace he kept going, "Now I'm at the top with my loud, rowdy friends. We're going none stop in a party that never ends."

"Well I knew an old lady, her name was Martha Lee," Juniper joined him, jiggling her foot in time with the music, "She came up and told me, 'Girl let me tell you one thing'."

"Wha'd she tell ya, Juni?" Once-ler asked, hopping up from the bed and looking down at her.

"She said ' honey take your time, don't you move to fast; you don't want to wake up and find that your life's already passed. Keep your chin level to the ground you walk upon, you don't wanna end up like me with a sad, sad song." she sat up and propped herself up with her elbows, "Now look at me, sitting with my friends, old Martha Lee you would be so proud of me!"

Once-ler laughed, spinning to the Lorax who watched them with an unimpressed look and arched an eyebrow, "What do you say, my mustached pal; got any words of wisdom to share with the class?"

"Yeah, just one, hurt my trees and I'll kick you in the-"

"Okay, that was a fun song!" Juniper interrupted quickly, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she rolled onto her stomach and stretched. Once-ler had a bit of difficulty controlling his laughter and the Lorax chuckled a bit himself, stuffing another bite of pancakes. Finally she sighed sluggishly got off the mattress and made room for herself on the couch, snuggling an over-stuffed Pipsqueak that had made himself at home on the plush cushions. "You want to sleep with Juniper tonight, don't you my cuddly little buddy?"

She didn't receive an answer aside from a contented burp and her eyes darted to Once-ler, "That means 'Yes, of course' in bear language."

"Sure it does." Once-ler laughed, placing his well used guitar down beside his bed and falling onto it, exhausted but incredibly pleased with himself. His thneed was a hit, the Lorax wasn't being to much of a pain, and to top everything off he even managed to not make himself look like a fool; if that wasn't enough to keep him happy then the added bonus that his bed now smelled like girl sure was. With a sigh he stood up and gathered his pajamas, "Well I'm going to call it a night, I've got a lot of work ahead of me tomorrow."

"Just make sure you don't harm my trees, pal. Remember the promise you made." The Lorax warned darkly. Once-ler rolled his eyes and looked over to see that Juniper had managed to fall asleep with a death grip on Pipsqueak and grinned, walking over to her and pulling the small bear from her hands before lifting her feet up and sticking a pillow under head. "I see you're not as hung on letting her stick around as you were last night."

Once-ler shrugged and covered her with a sheet that was sitting on the back of the couch, "She's not so bad." he answered, his eyes lingering on her for another second before he turned towards the bathroom, "Bit of a pain having to change in the bathroom, though."

"For you, maybe."

* * *

Authors Note: There you have it, chapter one of Falling Deep delivered to you in a full thirteen page length of spell checked glory! I've got to admit, not to sound cocky or anything, but I kinda like Juniper. Anyhow, moving along I'd like to tell everyone that Juniper isn't from our universe, but it is kind of like a mirror universe to ours (so, yes, picture your town/city if you want, but dim everything down to just the bare minimum of color); just don't expect to understand everything she talks about or try to look up any songs she sings, because you won't find them.

Juniper Fallie is a fictional character made to order. I've styled her to be Once-ler's comrade in arms, but that does not make her any less human; she will probably do things and say things that you won't agree with (especially further on into the story). I will not condone all of her actions and I'd highly recommend you don't run off and do everything she does just because you it sounds fun.

Also, don't expect a super long story, I hate it when things get so drawn out that it becomes a pain in the neck to keep interested in.


	2. Chapter 2

Falling Deep

The next morning Once-ler had everyone up and working before the sun even peaked over the soft cotton-like grass covered hills and the only one who was pleased about it was him. Even Juniper was grumbling, though it was mostly about her many failed attempts at learning knitting as she tried to work the knots properly with the long blunt needles. "I'm not getting this, Oncie, just trade jobs with me! Nothing's getting done!"

"Just keep practicing, I already told you I'm not expecting you to knit a thneed, just keep focused on your rope and we'll move on from there." He shouted down at her from atop a ladder, gently extracting the tree's feather like leaves and putting them into an itchy burlap sack. She mumbled something and he looked down at the girl sitting under the tree, "What?"

"I'm going to kick the ladder and watch you break your neck, that's what!" She snapped, huffing in her frustration and throwing the needles and thread into her lap to stare ahead of her.

He arched a brow and dropped the sack on her head, "Stop that, I suck, just let me trade places with you!"

"Sorry, Juni." He apologized simply, watching as she huffed again and took hold of the full sack, carrying it over to join the others near the tent. When she returned she flopped on the ground and crossed her legs, taking hold of the needles again to bend over and continue her pratice. "You're the one who said you wanted to help."

"I do want to help, but this isn't helping, is it?" She held up the knitted string for him to see and he grinned down at her, "I'm so glad you find my womanly skills so amazing." She stated flatly, "I'm not talking to you anymore."

He pulled another sack out of his belt and returned to gathering the leaves. It was the final tree he was planning on harvesting, having already used four others, and was looking forward to climbing down and staying grounded for the rest of the day. He hazarded a guess that he had enough to make a few dozen thneeds and planned on working on that after a short break. "I'll check your chain out in a few moments, but from up here it looks like you've improved a lot!" he received no answer and looked down to see that Juniper was following through with her, 'I'm not talking to you' decision. "Stop sulking."

"I'm not sulking." She argued back, "I'm just sitting here useless wondering why you won't trade jobs with me. It'd go faster if you actually let me do something I'm capable of doing."

He frowned down at her and rolled his eyes, "What sort of man would that make me if I had you up here risking your neck for leaves?"

"A smart one who knows how to delegate jobs." he sighed and quickly gathered the rest, filling the bag and carefully stepping down the ladder until he was on the ground. "We moving to another tree?" Juniper asked him, unfolding herself from the ground.

"Nope, we're done for the day. Don't want to have mustache jumping down my throat for stripping all his trees." He picked up the ladder and held it over his shoulder to store it against the side of his tent. Juniper helped him pick up the bags she'd put near Melvin's cart and they brought inside. Another few hours later and she was staring at him in open admiration, "It took me all day to make that chain and you've already got seven thneeds finished!" she shook her head, accepting a pale blue one and folding it to set on the small stack near her.

"Your chain wasn't all that bad, Juni, all you need is to practice making even knots and you'll be knitting with me in no time." he comforted with a grin and she stuck her tongue at him childishly. "If you're feeling so inspired to help then why don't you make some lunch? Anything other than pancakes."

She nodded slowly, standing up and walking to the fridge to peek inside to see the available ingredients he had. "What do you want to eat? Roast or... Bird?" She held up a package of meat and he snorted.

"That's fish, Juni."

She frowned at the packaged meat, "That's going to take a bit of getting use to." she joked, putting it back and taking out the roast instead, "This, however, should be easy enough for me to make!" She held it over her head before adding some carrots, potatoes, and onions. Afterward she dumped everything on the counter top and began pealing and chopping.

They kept the chit-chat light as they each focused on their tasks. By the time the roast had finished he'd produced the final thneed and proudly stood before thirty-six thneeds ready to be packaged and mailed to their new owners. "Now that's quality thneeds!" Juniper complimented, pulling off the top red one and rubbing the fabric between her fingers, "We don't have anything this soft back where I come from."

He looked over at her and grinned, "Neither did we until I found this place."

* * *

The days continued like that for a few days until Juniper's skill with knitting increased enough for her to help with actual production; however the orders were coming in fast and they slowly began struggling to keep up with the demand. "We need help." Once-ler sighed, watching Juniper finish up her tenth thneed and start on the eleventh, "The only thing we do is sit around knitting; and as much as I enjoy it even I'm starting to think the only thing we do is work."

Juniper nodded, flexing her aching fingers; "You could hire someone to help with the harvesting and knitting, right?" she suggested hopefully, "You were talking about some family members that might be interested in helping out in town the other day, why not call them?" his face contorted in concentration, not entirely sure he wanted to do that. "What? You said they were okay, didn't you?"

He shrugged, "Maybe... But I was thinking it might be a good idea to check out who might be interested in some work in town." she tilted her head and he continued, "You know, increase the economy and give back to the community; providing jobs is something a business owner should do, right?"

"What are you two dunder heads talking about?" Once-ler looked up and seen the Lorax popping his head in through his window, "How many people are we talking about? I don't want my forest flooded with idiots, it's bad enough it's got you two morons hanging about."

Juniper snorted and gave Once-ler a shifty look through the corner of her eyes, "Hire someone to follow him around all day singing folk songs."

"Probably just five or so people for the knitting and ten for harvesting." Once-ler answered the Lorax and sending a quick teasing grin at the girl sitting opposite from him on his mattress, "Possibly one that knows a bunch of really annoying songs." turning back to the orange guardian of the trees he shrugged, "Don't worry, I'm keeping my end of the deal, aren't I?"

The Lorax made a sound of discomfort before sighing, "Alright, look, as long as you don't go over board with anything you can go ahead and bring a few more people in to help you two out... I know you've both been working hard, so maybe I won't mind if you bring a few more people here to help harvest."

That grabbed Once-ler's attention and he stared in shock at the surprisingly obliging Lorax who usually spent his time harping about not trusting him not to back out of their deal. "Really?" he asked disbelievingly, "You're going to just let me hire some people with only a 'don't go over board' warning? You're not going to follow me, fighting me tooth and nail, arguing about it?"

"Well I can if you want me to." The Lorax answered, his eyes widening slightly before he offered a small smile, "I think you're working hard, Beanpole, you're not even trying to strip my trees bare; I think that's room enough to give you a bit more trust." He leaned over and pointed sharply at the man, "Don't think this gives you room to hire a hundred people! Just ten, got that?"

Once-ler grinned and nodded, "Understood, mustache!"

* * *

A week and ten new hires later found Once-ler and Juniper still sitting across from the other knitting as quickly as they could. "I don't get it, Oncie, we're not catching up with anything at all!" she finally whined, her eyebrows knitted in concentration as she focused on her task, "How many do we have done so far?"

He sighed and looked at the paper laying by his hip, "Two hundred done, four hundred to go." he shook his head and sighed, leaning back against the bed frame, "It doesn't help that the orders keep piling up, nobody can keep up... Maybe it's time we think about expanding?"

Juniper nodded slowly, "It shouldn't hurt anything, right?"

"Just a small factory would change everything, and if we set it up outside of the forest and just transport the material's to the factory then the Lorax can't complain, can he?" Juniper nodded excitedly and Once-ler stood up and made his way to a small cramped room he'd set up a make-shift office in. Pulling out a large bit of paper he quickly drew up some plans.

"Make the floor space a bit bigger, Oncie, that way people can come and go without bumping into eachother." Juniper's voice suggested and he jumped, not having realized she joined him. Nodding a bit he made the addition and sat back to admire the future.

"What are you fools in here doing?" The Lorax's voice sounded from the doorway and both humans jumped a bit guiltily in suprise "Is that a factory? Are you actually going to try and build a factory?" he looked furious at even the idea and Once-ler immediately shook his head, "You're not building a factory in my forest, pal!"

"No, no, Lorax! You've got it wrong," Juniper quickly cut in before the two males began butting heads again, "It's not going to be in the forest, we wouldn't do that! You should know us a bit better by now." the little guardian's eyes turned to her and she gave a smile, "We can just move the truffula leaves to the factory, it'll also actually mean having less people in the forest then we have now!"

"It'll let us hire more people so we can keep up with the demand." Once-ler explained, gesturing for the Lorax to enter the room and look at his concept. The creature did as asked and looked at the blue prints sitting innocently on the easel, "Look, it's only a small one. Nothing to get bent out of shape over, I promise."

"I'm not convinced this won't turn into a disaster." he turned wise eyes on the quiet humans waiting for his answer before he heaved a sigh, "I like you kids; you're both idiots, but your trying your hardest... I guess I don't really mind so long as it's not in the forest; just keep it simple, okay?" Shouting their excitement Juniper and Once-ler high-fived.

* * *

While they waited for the factory to be built Juniper and Once-ler continued knitting the thneeds; the work didn't get any easier, however the knowledge that the factory was nearly completed and they'd be able to hire more people kept their spirits light. They also let some of the work slide a bit, sending out notices to the customers that their orders might take a little longer than usual to get filled; there was a minor disgruntlement, but nothing that wasn't easily forgotten about by all.

Deciding to get some fresh air they left the house, armed with bathing suits, towels, and Once-ler's guitar; "Who wants to go swimming?" Once-ler shouted out, laughing happily when they were surrounded by their near overjoyed animal neighbors. It didn't take long for everyone to jump into the small creak and begin chasing each other about, splashing and screaming laughter.

"You two taking a break, huh?" The Loax spoke up and Once-ler looked over his shoulder to see the fuzzy guy sitting at the bank.

Juniper laughed, "Yep, a well earned one, too!" she sent a huge splash at the little guardian with every intent of drenching him in one hit, only to end up shrieking when the wave somehow rebounded off something and was sent back to her double fold. Her feet went over her head from the force and she found herself struggling to the surface. "That's not fair, Lorax; no cheating!"

"Glad to see your mystical powers of the forest in action." Once-ler deadpanned, managing to keep the near hysterical laughter down perfectly, "Very handy." Another gigantic splash formed and slammed into him, leaving him sputtering and gasping in the middle of the stream. It must have been a signal of some sort because he was immediately set upon by the animals and had to crawl to the safety of the grass in order to breath through the onslaught of splashes that followed him clear up to the shore. "I give up, I lose!" He shouted, covering his head from the water that practically rained around him.

When the splashing suddenly stopped and everything got quiet he looked up in confusion, "What?" he asked smartly before noticing the large shadow he was sitting in. Looking up he seen two smiling business men looking at him like he was some sort of country bumpkin... which he was, but that didn't mean he liked it. "What?" he asked a bit rudely.

"Well, Sir, we don't mean to intrude." One started, offering him one of the towels Juniper had carelessly thrown aside before jumping into the water, "But we've got a bit of a preposition that you might be interested in hearing."

Once-ler accepted the towel, but tossed it to Juniper who had made her way over to join him; "Concerning what?" he asked once she'd tied the fluffy fabric over herself. He didn't like the look or feel of the men and he really didn't like they way they turned their eyes on Juniper and looked at her, either. Apparently the Lorax flat out hated them, because he didn't even bother to stick around. "Where'd Lorax go, Juni?" he asked the girl. She looked at the two men and shrugged in answer.

"Well let's not worry if one animal goes missing, we probably just frightened the little guy is all." The second man stated boastfully and Once-ler had to fight back the snort of disbelief. "More importantly, why don't you let us tell you how to increase your productivity?"

"We're already working on that." Juniper snapped at them, crossing her arm and Once-ler nodded his agreement. "Oncie's already drawn out the plans and building's already started."

The men looked at her before looking back down at Once-ler, "Well that's all fine and good, but you haven't done any advertising! Not even a single billboard; even small companies try to do a little advertising; and, my friend, yours has a large potential! You should be trying to get your product seen by everyone! Don't you want to succeed?"

"Of course I want to succeed." Once-ler conceded, his eyes darting over to Juniper to see that even she looked thoughtful. "What are you guys saying, you want to advertise for me?"

"But of course!" The two men chimed together, "Why, with your thneed and that sweet little lady over there you'll be a house hold name! We could even expand the products, give the people more of what they want; keep them happy and make yourself a bit happier as well." one of the men leaned down and helped Once-ler to his feet as the other walked over to Juniper and threw his arm around her shoulder.

"All we need is a bit of your time, that's all."

* * *

Juniper sat beside Once-ler feeling aggravated as the two strangers ogled her; she felt like a slab of meat. "What is it, exactly, that you want me to do again?" She asked, not completely understanding their suggestion.

"Just pose for a few photo's with Once-ler here, maybe a few commercials." One of the men stated casually, "We also heard that you both preformed a song when you first started selling them, correct?" Once-ler nodded, "Then how about a bit more of that? Seems the people really liked that." she perked up at the idea of her singing being heard by everyone and looked over at Once-ler who wore a considering look. "People want to see you, both of you! They want to see you looking gorgeous and, as everybody knows, a smart business man like yourself, Mr. Once-ler, gives the people what they want!"

Once-ler looked over at her and frowned, "Nothing in bad taste, though.." he stated slowly, his eyes going back to look at the two men sitting at the table inside his tent and Juniper smiled. He was agreeing to having them advertise, which would have them singing, which would have her sound being heard across the world. "Juniper's been wanting to get her voice out there, anyways, right Juni?"

She nodded happily that he'd seen the opportunity it provided her, "Absolutely!" she was thrilled and bouncing on the mattress, "Maybe I can be on stage one day-"

"One day soon!" One man shouted, clapping his hands enigmatically, "Soon both your names will be so commonly used people won't remember a time they didn't know them! You're gonna be big!"

The Lorax suddenly entered the room, looking cross with his eyes squinted at the four humans, "How big does it need to be until you call it successful?" He asked quietly, drawing Once-ler's and Juniper's eyes to him, "How much more do you need until you're happy?"

"Your forest is fine, Lorax," Once-ler stated in annoyance, "Haven't I done everything in my power to prove that to you? I'm not going to hurt it, we're only talking about a bit of advertising. How could that hurt your precious truffula trees?" Juniper nodded in agreement, watching as the orange fuzz ball walked further into the room, casting a dark glare at the men at the table before looking back at the two on the bed.

"I don't apologize for my worry over the forest, after all, somebody's got to speak for the trees." He stated evenly, no malice behind his words. "I'll admit, you've shown the forest every respect and take care to treat the trees with care; but I find myself worrying about other things as well." he looked at Once-ler, and frowned. "I allowed you to hire more workers to ease your tired hands, and even a factory to calm your worried minds. I didn't do that for the forest, I did it for you... But now you're talking about selling yourselves along with your thneed. Just how much bigger do you really need to be?"

Once-ler frowned and shook his head, "It's fine, Lorax, don't over-worry about this. I'll get a bit of advertising and Juniper will get her name out there; nothing's going to change."

"It will." The Lorax shook his head, "It already has, you're both just to stupid to see it." he disappeared with that, leaving not even a hair behind to show that he'd even been there and Juniper found herself shifting uncomfortably at his words. Had something changed without her realizing it? What was it? She looked over at Once-ler and seen him staring through frowning eyes where the Lorax had just been; was he wondering the same things?

He looked over at her and smiled, "We'll be fine, I'm sure of it."

She nodded, "Of course, there isn't anything to worry about.

The sound of pens clicking drew their attention back to the grinning men at the table, they were holding out pens and contracts, already written up and ready to be signed, "Neither of you will regret this, just sign here."

* * *

Once-ler and Juniper signed the contracts, but nothing came from it until the factory was up and running, production tripled, and a large team of people sudden found their way into the forest. Before either of them realized what had happened they were dressed to the nines and being pulled every which way by people they'd only known for a hand full of minutes. "Miss. Fallie, we need you looking this way." a woman called, jerking her chin towards the camera.

"Mr. Once-ler, try putting your hand on her hip for me, please?" A man called from behind a camera and Once-ler's hand was pulled and placed on Juniper's hip before another hand came out and pushed her head under his chin, "Oh that looks good, can you try smiling a bit for us? Nobody will buy if they all think you're glaring at them."

They both smiled, "No, not that much... Try for vaguely amused." They softened their smiles, "I said amused, not confused." The voice snapped, "Think 'big shots', okay?" they sharpened their smiles into grins and the photographer grunted, "You're not even trying, are you?"

"Well what do you want us to do then?" Juniper snapped at his side and Once-ler snickered, "Well seriously, how many different ways is there to smile?"

"Well there's deviously sexy, which is what we're wanting out of both of you." The photographer snapped without a moments hesitation and Once-ler felt his face flood with heat, "That's cute, Mr. Once-ler, which isn't what the people want! They want to see sparks fly across the sky in huge bursts of color! Give the people what they want!"

Two hours and several boarders crossed later and they were released, apparently having successfully come across as 'deviously sexy'. The only benefit that Once-ler really got out of it was that he got to touch a fancied up Juniper in places he normally wouldn't dare. "Well that wasn't the most comfortable time spent in front of a camera."

"I think one of them pulled my arm out of socket." Juniper whined pathetically, "Do you think we're going to look okay? I felt so stupid. I'm going to look stupid." She grabbed his harm and hung from it, "You're going to look deviously sexy and I'm going to look decidedly stupid, that's not fair!"

Once-ler rolled his eyes, "I'm sure you're going to look deviously sexy." he assured, patting her head in comfort despite her added weight on his already stiff shoulders. She sighed and he smiled down at her, "I know, we're dressed up anyways, let's go to town and celebrate our first photo shoot!" she perked up and grinned and he laughed, "Let me grab my wallet and we'll hitch up Melvin to the cart so you don't have to walk on those stilts."

"Don't spew your hate on my shoes, you're just jealous that I'm as tall as you now." She joked, holding a stockinged leg up to show off the shinny green four inch heals. He scoffed and she smirked up at him, "You know you love my shoes."

"Yes, I can't even begin to describe the feelings your shoes have envoked within me." He joked drily before daftly dodging the fist she playfully threw at him, "Go wait in the cart, I'll be right there." He slipped into the tent and retrieved his wallet from the kitchen counter.

"You going out, Beanpole?" he turned around to see the Lorax sitting at his table and grinned, "I seen you and Juniper getting your picture taken by those hack jobs."

"Those were professional photographers, mustache." Once-ler sighed, leaning a hip against the counter, "But, yes, Juniper and I are going out to celebrate the end of it." The Lorax's mustache twitched, "Well we're already dressed up anyways, might as well go out and enjoy ourselves after being pulled and pushed and tweaked and pinched."

The Lorax grinned widely, "So you admit their hacks?"

Once-ler rolled his eyes, "Now you're just teasing me." He turned and gave his friend a wave, "Juniper and I will be back in a few hours, try not to get yourself worked up to much while we're away." the Lorax made a sarcastic noise and Once-ler looked over his shoulder, stuffing the wallet into his pocket before daring to ask, "What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing." The Lorax waved him off and Once-ler rolled his eyes, opening the door to leave when the orange ball of annoyance tauntingly called out, "You're right, Beanpole, those shoes were made for legs like hers."

He spun around and gaped at the creature that now sat with a large smirk on his face in a mixed about of horror and embarrassment, "She's going to think we were talking about her legs!" He snaped quietly at the Lorax, narrowing his eyes into slits when the little jerk only shrugged in answer. He pointed at his friend, "This isn't over."

"I guess she does look good in it, but saying that?" the Lorax leaned back and tauntingly lifted both hands in the air and Once-ler quickly slammed the door before the little jerk could say anything else.

"You win this round you furry little peanut thing." He growled, spinning around to see Juniper laughing hystercally from the cart, "You're encouraging him, stop laughing!" He demanded, sighing when she only started laughing harder, it was difficult being angry with her as the evening sun shone through her curled and teased locks, "Fine, keep laughing. Let's see if that gets you any closer to an ice-cream cone."

She was still muffling a few giggles when he hopped into the cart beside her, but she was doing it with a slight pink tinge to her cheeks which soothed his nerves a bit. "Okay, Melvin, let's escort the lovely Juni on a night of frivolous fun and excitement!" Melvin brayed before taking off at a slow pace. The road was bumpy in all the wrong places, dust was covering their nice clothes, styled hair, and beautified faces. When they arrived they hardly looked like the sleek business people the make-up artists and costume designers had so carefully striven for.

In the end they decided on go-carting and munched on cheesy chilly dogs.

* * *

The next day Once-ler woke up perfectly happy with his life, which made him worry somewhat as it was always then that something terrible happened. He dressed as usually and quickly served up a pancake breakfast for everyone, setting the coffee on last because he'd long since discovered that even just the scent of it woke his housemate up. When she stirred and sat herself up with a stretch he had already fixed her cup up and set into curious hands, "Try to get dressed early today, I've got a feeling something's going to happen."

She frowned, but nodded and slipped her legs over the side of the couch and took a quick sip from her mug, "Okay, give me a few minutes." She stood and quickly walked over to the closet, sorting through her growing wardrobe before selecting a random casual outfit.

"Try to pick something... Nice." Once-ler added, seeing the simple pair of jeans and t-shirt she'd thrown over her arm. She nodded again, replacing the clothes and pulling out a cute white dress. He gave her a thumbs up and she went to the bathroom, coming out a moment later to twirl about him, "That's fantastic."

"You two must have had a good night." The Lorax joked suggestively, Once-ler gave a strangled cough and threw his yet-to-be-refilled cup in the general direction of where the perverted mustached monster before realizing he'd even reacted at all. The cup flew out of the window out into the grass and the Lorax chuckled gleefully from the kitchen table, "Now that was instinct, Juniper. Remember that's an excellent quality in a man."

Juniper pantomimed copying what he said to paper with a serious nod and Once-ler rolled his eyes and flung his hands out to them, "Nice dealing with a pair of jokers in the morning, yeah, I love it." A swomee flew through the window and landed on the counter, the white mug he'd thrown out clutched in it's beak. He accepted the cup, "Thanks buddy, at least your on my side, huh?" he asked, patting the birds head and ignoring the still laughing duo behind him.

Suddenly he seen trees being pushed over outside the window in horror, it was coming straight for their tent and he wasn't looking forward to who he knew the visitors were. Spinning around he frowned, "Looks my family's come for a visit." he ran over and stuffed his feet in his shoes and walked outside to greet the no doubt outraged clan and heard Juniper quickly pad over. He waved her away, "No, I don't think this is going to be pretty. Trust me, wait here."

"Get rid of them, Beanpole."

"I'm going to try, Mustache." he responded slipping out the door just managing to close it before his aunt and uncle's Winnebago pulled to a chaotic stop near Melvin's cart. He walked up as they piled outside and he steeled himself for the guilt trip that would eventually come with the appearance of his mother.

"Once-ler!" His uncle called out, giving a large wave before running up to hug his nephew, "Always knew you had the right stuff, my boy, you were made for success!" he gave the much younger man a large smile as his wife, a mountain of a woman with the face of a angry hound, thudded out shortly after. "Oh, hey now, who's _that_?" his uncle asked, wiggling his eyebrows and giving a couple sharp jabs with his elbow into Once-ler's side, "Got a _lady_ while away, did you?"

Once-ler's stomach dropped when he turned to see Juniper stepping out of the tent and walk over to them. She stopped beside him and greeted his family with a smile and a wave as his two brothers fell out onto the ground atop of one another, "Wow Oncie, she's a beaut!" they complimented her, coming so uncomfortably close that he had to step between them, "She looks like fairy!"

"Well of course his girlfriend is beautiful, learn from your brother and become a big success and maybe you can bag yourself a beautiful girl, too!" Came his mother's voice and he flinched. Not there a minute and there were already humiliating him. "Oncie, my most _precious_ and most _handsome_ son, how I've _missed_ you!" She cried, finally stepping out onto the ground to speed over to him and smother him in a hug, "You should have called your family the second you needed help, we had to hear about it on the television, of course I packed us right up and we came down here as _fast_ as possible."

"That wasn't really necessary, mother." Once-ler managed to get out before the woman turned her eyes to Juniper, smiling at the younger woman with an expectant sort of smile. Once-ler coughed, "This is Juniper, my-"

"Yes, yes, we've seen the pictures! They don't do you a lick of justice, you're so much more beautiful in person; and those lovely legs of yours, why, you look so good together... It's enough to make a wonderful mother like me cry." She gave two exaggerated sniffs.

"No, no, you guys are misunderstanding," he started, holding his hand out to stop them from saying anything else and embarrassing him further, "She's just fri-"

"I'm so happy to welcome you to the family, Juni," His mother sighed, coming up and grasping the younger girl's arms in either hand and Once-ler stood, horrorfide, as the woman continued, "I'm Isabella, but I want to hear you call me 'Mama'," she gave a big cheesy smile and Once-ler gaped at her, not even he had ever called her 'mama'. "these are your future brother-in-laws Brett and Chett, your new Uncle Ubb and Aunt Grizeldathumb."

"It's surly a pleasure to meet you." Uncle Ubb took his bowler hat off and gave her a wink and Aunt Grizeldathumb grunted.

Juniper looked from Once-ler to each of his family members in turn before giving a nervous smile and waving her hand weakly, "Oh, uh, hello." Once-ler grinned apologetically and she winked back at him, grabbing hold of his arm and giggling, "Your family's certainly not what I expected," she looked over at his mother and sighed, "it's so difficult to get a man to say anything."

His mother trilled a giggle, "Oh, yes dear, I know!" she agreed and Once-ler quickly coughed into his hand, rolling his eyes away to keep from looking at Juniper's face and laughing. "You must tell me how you met over some tea, I bet it's simply romantic." he had a flash back of wildly swinging knitting needles and couldn't choke back the laugh that erupted. His mother blinked at him in shock, "What in the world is the matter with you?"

"Oh, he's just laughing because I nearly killed him with knitting needles, I think." Juniper answered honestly and Once-ler laughed more, she patted his back and hugged his arm before shooting a perky smile to his shocked family. "It's okay, though, because I _didn't_."

His mother blankly nodded and Juniper gave another giggle. "Who are they?" the Lorax's voice suddenly broke in rudely and Once-ler shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as the tree guardian came up to the group and stared at his family, "We already agreed on a maximum of ten people, I'm putting my foot down here."

Once-ler laughed, "Calm down, Lorax, this is my family, not a bunch of new hires come to flood your forest with more humans." he joked.

Aunt Grizeldathumb leaned over and stared down her nose at the little guardian with disdain, "What is this fuzzy peanut looking thing? Is it your pet?" she asked snobbishly, "Well I hate to tell you this, shrimp, but we're not going anywhere."

A brief war of words were exchanged between Grizeldathumb and the Lorax, a game of wits that he easily won and Once-ler quickly stepped between them, "So what do we owe this suprise visit, mother? Surly you're not _wanting_ to stay in _such_ a dirty forest?"

His mother sniffed and looked around at the wide grassy slops and high fluffy trees and scrunched up her nose, "Well we thought you might need a little help with your business, sweetie." she said slowly, "But you're right, this place is a bit... rough for us; but if it's for you we can handle it!" she put on a brave face with a long suffering sigh, holding a closed fist to her chest dramatically; not her best work, but certainly not her worst.

"_Actually_," Juniper began, smiling secretivly and looking as though she were going to reveal a huge secret, "did you know _the_ single most elite hotel just opened up a _week_ ago?" she looked over at him for a second with a fixed smile on her face. He frowned, wondering why she was looking at him so oddly before it dawned on him that he was supposed join in.

He nodded enthusiastically, "Oh you're _right_, Juni; and if I remember right they sent us the two week invitation that we couldn't accept." he looked back at his mother, molding his face into one of deep concentration, "It would have been nice if we could have sent someone in our place to let the hotel that we appreciated it, but we couldn't find anyone capable enough."

"Oh that truly is terrible!" His mother gasped, her eyes twinkling excitedly, "If you'd like, sweetie, we can stay and represent you, would that make you feel better?"

He gave his mother a large smile and Juniper giggled, "Wow, Oncie, your mother's so wonderful! Not even here an hour and yet she still manages to be such a big help!"

"She's just doing it because it benefits her, you two might be stupid but even you're not dumb enough to believe her, are you?" The Lorax gaped at them, earning glares all around. Thankfully he seemed to realize Juniper and Once-ler were glaring at him for a different reason than the rest and sighed, "Well I guess it's your call, Beanpole."

Once-ler nodded firmly, "Don't worry, they won't even be in the forest. There's other things for them to work on than production." Juniper grinned and nodded her support and he smiled, "I'm sure they'd be much more at home in marketing." he warmed quickly to the idea, not realizing the perfect truth in that sentence until it left his lips. It was the perfect idea; the best way to deal with money hungry people was to set them against each other.

As he retrieved the vibrant pink pinstripe designed envelope he couldn't help realize the similarities of his relatives to the two add agents. He hadn't noticed the slight whine in his mother's voice or the clueless faces of his older twin brothers; had they always been like that? He stepped back out into the sun shine and held up the tickets victoriously.

* * *

Authors Note: So I managed to get some good dialog in, which was my goal for this chapter and I'm very please to say 'check'! Anyhow, as you've probably guess by now (and if you haven't then shame on you) but I'm taking a different route in my story; I believe this plot is plausible enough, with the addition of new roles and new characters. I really hope you're enjoyed reading, and look forward to seeing you back soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Falling Deep

To _**Oncie's Sweetheart**_: I'm giving you a shout out because I'm loving the support you've generously given me! This chapter's for you, hope you enjoy it.

_**All standard disclaimers apply and my most sincere thanks to the eternal Dr. Suss. **_

* * *

Juniper watched discontentedly at the sideline as Once-ler's once mocked Thneed became so common placed that it was strange seeing anyone without two or three at a time being used. His mother, who Juniper personally found aggravating and pushy, had insisted they buy a place closer to the new company building that had been erected in town. She'd argued against it, however Once-ler didn't take long to cave to his mother's pressure and had bought a new state-of-the-art penthouse; he lived by himself there for two weeks until Juniper caved, not wanting to look at sad faces he'd left any longer than that.

The noise of the city wasn't something she got used to and she had difficulty staying asleep at night over it, which was odd because she'd never had that problem before. Not even when she'd left home and moved to the big dangerous city where people supported shockers and knockers inside their coat pockets for protection. Isabella had insisted she see a doctor on the matter and was shortly given a sleep aid that allowed her a full eight hours rest and left her feeling groggy and hungover the next day.

It wasn't until Once-ler walked in, dressed head to toe in a suit and hat that screamed 'money', with a letter grasped in hand that she realized he wasn't the only one destined for fame and riches, "Looks like someone got their first record deal." He stated happily, setting an envelope into the sleepy woman curled on the over-stuffed sofa's lap before lounging comfortably beside her.

She picked up the letter and blinked at it before what he said finally sunk through to her chemically dulled brain, "No way!" She gasped, flinging her legs over the side of the couch and leaning forward excitedly as she slipped the letter out of the already opened envelope and scanned through the small business print they used. "A two year contract." She breathed, touching the edge of the paper reverently and looking up at the grinning man beside her, "I've got a two _year_ contract!"

"If that doesn't pull you out of the mood you've been laying around in then I don't know what will." Once-ler laughed, intercepting the sluggish kick aimed for him before bringing her legs into his lap and propping his feet onto the oblong short table in front of them, "Well congratulations on the beginning of your rise to fame and glory."

She paused and frowned at him, setting the paper in her lap as she considered the possibility of him taking advantage of his money to give her a hand out, "Did you buy any record labels recently?" his smirk deepened as he smugly shook his head, "Did your _mother_ buy a record label recently?" She tried again.

He shot her an amused look while crossing his arm behind his head, "Is it really to difficult for you to believe you finally earned yourself a record deal?" he asked in a mocking tone and she rolled her eyes, looking back at the paper in her hands in disbelief, "You've been singing in the Thneed commercials for the last two months, Juni, people walk around humming the lyrics. I'm surprised it took them as long as it did to offer you a deal."

"So she didn't buy one, then?" Juniper asked flatly, arching an eyebrow when he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "So this is really mine?" she pointed at the paper with a small smile creeping over her face, "I earned this and it has nothing to do with you or you awful mother?"

He frowned at her, "My mother's not 'awful'."

Ignoring him she bounced on the couch a bit before nausea came into the mix and she forced herself to calm down enough for her stomach to settle, "Looks like they want to meet with me next week to start the negotiations." she sent Once-ler a broad smile over the top of the paper and he chuckled, "You are, officially, looking at the future of music."

"Pretty shabby looking future." Once-ler joked, "Maybe you should get dressed and brush your hair before you start with the whole 'queen of the world' act." she stuck her tongue out at him and squished herself comfortably into the sofa pillows. It was a rare occasion that she was able to laze about with her friend and if he had a spare few minutes that he could sit with her then she sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to ruin it. He laughed, "Fine, be a lazy good for nothing."

"I'm good for something." She quipped, laughing at his confused face as the meaning to her words flew over his head and out the window before reaching for the television remote and switching it on. The first thing to bless their sight was their own sharp smiles as they rocked out "Everyone Needs a Thneed" on shinny new instruments in what had grown to be their trademark matching outfits and she sorted. Oh, if only the cameras could see her now.

Once-ler's hat landed onto the table before them followed by his gloves and tie as he happily kicked off his shoes before ruffling his hair, "There, now we're ready for a close up." he joked gleefully. She watched his long toes wiggle and couldn't resist laughing that his train of thought had matched hers so neatly.

* * *

Once-ler stayed for a few hours longer than he'd intended, but he didn't regret it. Not even when he finally walked into his office to see his mother arguing with Mr. M and Mr. N over the new commercial they were working on was enough to dampen his mood. Juniper had managed to finally shake off the drugged look she usually had in the morning much easier than she usually did and had even laughed and joked with him like she used to before they'd left the forest.

It wasn't until his mother noticed him trying to slink through his office door that his mood plummeted, "Oncie, dear, you and Juni won't mind making a beach commercial, will you?" She asked, her voice slick and her face pulled into too-sweet-to-be-real smile. He'd already vetoed the beach commercial she'd been pulling for because of the sheer amount of skin that they wanted out of both him and Juni.

"I _already_ said no to that." He sighed out the reminder for what felt like the hundredth time, "Even if I did agree to it, I don't think you could ever get Juni to prance around naked for the cameras."

"Not naked, dear!" His mother gasped and he rolled his eyes, "Well, not entirely naked, just the chest up; and it's not like you won't have a Thneed covering all the bits you don't want seen."

That wasn't the problem. The problem as that the bits he didn't want seen by others were bits that he'd very happily ogle at all day long if given the time and opportunity to do so without being discovered; as would the rest of the male population on the planet. "It's _still_ a no, mom. Stop pushing for it and instead focus on putting the word out for our Smeeds."

Smeeds was a new product he'd come up with just before leaving the forest, a fully odorless Thneed specially designed for the people who's allegories prevented them from buying a Thneed in the first place. So far, the only thing anyone had done to put the word of it out was to add very tiny text at the bottom of magazine adds that hardly drew any attention away from his and Juniper's smiling faces. "If people don't know we're making them then they're not going to buy, are they?"

"Well we're already working on that, right M?" she blasted N with a heated glare, "It's just that _certain people_ have it in their head that they're the only ones able to think up a decent slogan."

N shrugged, "I'm sorry, but not everyone will need a Smeed. Trying to use the same one for the Thneed and the Smeed will make about as much sense as trying to tell everyone they need bottled air or some other ridiculous thing like that." Once-ler nodded in agreement, "I also don't think _'Smeed is a Thneed for those who can't get what they need'_ is the best way to go about it since it makes it sound like more of a knock off than a completely different product."

Apparently that was enough to inspire another argument between the three and Once-ler used the opportunity to stealthy make his escape, pressing a finger to his lips at his amused assistant. Once inside he walked over to his desk, put his hat off to the side, and began sorting through the paperwork on his desk that had been placed there earlier that morning. He knew this, because yesterdays mountain of paperwork hard already been dealt with and put away neatly in the long line of filing cabinets he kept to the side of the room for easier access.

When he'd first thought of making the Thneed he hadn't placed a single thought into just how much effort it took to not only start, but to maintain, his own company. Neither did he ever dream of having over two hundred people on payroll... Hell, he hadn't even thought of a payroll, period. It had all just been a dream he loved to talk about; now that he had achieved it he wondered if it wasn't perhaps more of a nightmare. If one thing went wrong even in the slightest he was the first one notified and asked how to fix it; if something went right it was business as usual with only Juni's half halfhearted congratulations sleepily given as though she had either just woken up, or was just falling asleep.

There wasn't any pancakes, music, or laughter.

He frowned and signed his name on the bottom of the paper after reading it, setting it in his finished pile as he reached for another and began reading as he tried to chase the depressing thoughts away. It didn't work, however, and soon he was remembering the last time he'd seen her in the forest; she hadn't been happy at having to leave, but she wasn't sad about it like he'd been expecting, either. She looked more removed from the situation then removed from their cozy little tent and warm fuzzy friends; a sort of despondency.

He half wanted to go back to how it had been before he'd made it big. Back to the time they were knitting the Thneeds by hand just the two of them on his small bed and they didn't have to worry about dressing in the latest fashion. To just before Juniper stopped smiling.

He frowned and drew a large thick line across the paper before slamming it into the finished pile as well. She had smiled just earlier however it wasn't the same one she would use when she'd sing along with his guitar... Not that it was her fault. How could she sing along with a guitar that was no longer played?

He looked at his fingers. They were clean, smooth, and soft. Each cuticle perfectly maintained and each nail smooth and even without even the slightest scratch; the hands of a business man and the hands of a guitarist were about as similar as the city and the forest. He sort of missed his old somewhat dirty fingernails that had always been chipped just a bit from either work or a snapped guitar string, "When did I change into this person?" he asked himself curiously.

His buzzer sounded and he snapped himself out of his useless melodramatic thoughts before he pressed the small round button on his intercom, "What is it, I'm going through paperwork right now."

"Just wanted to let you know I chase them off, boss." The deep laughter of his assistant echoed over the speaker and Once-ler rolled his eyes, knowing that if he turned the intercom off he'd still hear it even though the thick wooden doors between them. "Your mom says she'll be back to meet you for lunch and said to tell you to bring Juni."

He narrowed is eyes and thanked him, letting the button go to throw his arms behind his head and stamp his foot in a little mini-melt down that couldn't be ignored. There was absolutely no way he was going to drag Juniper out of the penthouse and to whatever Lorax forsaken place the woman wanted to drag them to just to have her listen to incessant bullshit liked to talk about.

He frowned and allowed his arms to drop back to the leather encased arms of the chairs listlessly and wondered just when it had become routine to think that way about his own mother? At what time did he start _dragging_ Juniper _outside_? She loved being outside. "Things not going your way, Beanpole?"

He didn't have to open his eyes to know his friend, The Lorax, had come for a visit; and despite missing the orange fuzz ball he found he didn't have the energy to get up and greet him the way he used to. He sat up and looked across the desk where the Lorax sat with an interested tilt of his mustache, "Hello, Lorax, nice of you to swing by for a visit."

"Well, I would have swung by sooner but I didn't know if I could stomach seeing ya." The Lorax explained himself needlessly and with the blunt force of truth that had Once-ler shrugging and nodding his head in understanding. "How's life treating you?"

"Not bad." Once-ler adjusted the paperwork on his desk busily before grinning a bit, "Juni's got herself a record label, just found out about it this morning in the mail. She's very excited about it, I left her picking out an outfit for tomorrow's negotiations." the Lorax made a humming noise and Once-ler's back stiffened. "We're also releasing a new Thneed in a couple of months after a bit more product testing-"

The Lorax interrupted, holding up a single finger calmly, "I didn't ask what you've been doing with life, I already know that, I asked how it was treating you. I'm guessing, somewhat poorly or I wouldn't have come to seeing you staring at your hands with that clueless look on your face." He sat forward and stared intently at the man in front of him, "You're sinking, Beanpole."

Once-ler glared back, folding his hands before him on the desk and looking down at the creature before him, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one, Mustache." he stated flatly despite knowing it was the truth. Even though he was growing wealthier as the days passed he was spending those passing days in his office, either alone or with people who only spoke of business or social gatherings he'd, so far, managed to spare himself from.

"You're sinking fast and you'll soon hit the ground wondering why you let yourself be overtaken by the greed of others and why you helped it happen to Juniper." The Lorax warned again, shaking his head sadly before he crossed his hands over his knees and leaned forward, "I'm not saying you did anything bad, kid; you've kept your promise to me and I'll never forget that. You're a good guy so I know you'll come out of it eventually." with that he simply vanished, leaving Once-ler no time to even think of a response.

He had one too, and it was a good one!

"Thanks, Mustache."

* * *

Juniper adjusted the large dark pink and green stripped guitar strap as she stood off stage, watching the roadies set up for the show. She had spent the entire past two months doing nothing but practice in the studio just a few blocks away from Tneed Industry, and now that she was finally just hours from taking the world by storm she found she wanted to stand before the sea of strangers less then she wanted to take a bath with live twist stinger bees. Her drummer stumbled onto the stage and started yelling at one of the roadies and she sighed, turning away as the boy was smacked for incorrectly hooking up the microphone.

Walking back to her dressing room she slipped inside and took the guitar from her shoulder, setting the metallic pink acoustic onto it's stand and staring at the odd looking creature in the mirror that mimicked her every move. Long straight smooth locks of hair had been flattened and crimped with bright pink zigzag streaks going through here and there with the last four inches of hair died the same color; it had been sloppily put together by hair stylists looking for her 'new image'; which was apparently techno gutter rat if the tattered neon colored clothing she wore was any indication.

Dark purple sunglasses covered her eyes and she hoped people believed she'd chosen to wear them because of the stage light instead of covering her red rimmed, sleep deprived eyes. Thankfully make-up covered her pale skin, so she wouldn't shine like a beacon when the bright lights hit her; to bad it was itchy and kept sticking her eyelashes together. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, frowning at her reflection as though it were one giant lie being told to her.

"Not what you expected, is it?" She heard the Lorax ask from behind her.

She turned and shrugged, "Nope, then again when I was thinking 'rock star' I had imagined a musician instead of art work." she turned to face the forest guardian and struck a pose, "You think if I go out there and stand like this for a couple of hours they'll think I'm a statue?"

"Well you don't look human, that's for sure." he joked back, his green eyes on her before shaking his head in amusement, "When Beanpole told me you finally got a contract or whatever I didn't think it was with a circus." she rolled her eyes as he laughed again and looked at herself in the mirror having no room to defend herself with anything else. "You gotta do this for how long?"

"Two years." She moaned, sinking to the chair at the vanity and shaking her head, "I really look that stupid, then?" She asked pitifully, "Not spunky and fun?"

"Is that the look you were going for?" The Lorax asked curiously, "Because you went way past that into another galaxy several times over." she waved him away and groaned again at the teasing note in his voice. "Really, why did you agree to that?"

Shrugging she sat up and removed the glasses from her eyes, "I'm so tired that I just didn't really care at the time, you know?" setting them down onto the vanity she turned her chair around and crossed her arms over her knees, leaning in a bit to give him a closer look and he gave a slow whistle, "You'd be amazed at just how hard sleeping can be in the city."

"You should go home, Dollface." he told her softly.

She looked at him, "My home's the forest, Lorax. Going back to _that_ place wouldn't do me any good anymore."

"I guess so." He agreed and patted her arm before vanishing, leaving her alone in her dressing room once again. She waved her hand once through the air at his departure and got up to walk over to her guitar case, reaching inside to pop an upper she'd been prescribed to keep her awake throughout the day before chuckling sarcastically to herself and throwing them back in.

* * *

Once-ler lounged inside his empty penthouse in front of the television, waiting for Juniper to walk on stage. People were filling the seats quickly, however there was one front row in the center of the stage that would remain empty all because a meeting had taken longer then intended and his missed his flight. What he wouldn't give to see her reaction as she took the stage, to see the pure joy and adrenalin rush to her face; the public was about to be overcompensated for the tickets they'd bought, because he didn't think for a moment that Juniper would allow anything less.

When she came out to stand on the stage, however, the only thing she did was stand there for a moment, looking out over the large sold out stadium through thick sunglasses that blocked her eyes from view. Her fingers caught the strings of the guitar and she leaned into the microphone, "Take me back, to how it use to be; back when I didn't have to worry, and I truly felt free." her fingers slipped against the strings in a confident grace that Once-ler was no longer sure that he had. "I want to remember the good times that flowed, down where the curling river bowed."

"So please take me away," she paused long enough to rip through a few cords and leaned forward again, her mouth wide against the microphone, "Oh baby, hey. Let the storm come, I'll keep you safe, Hun; just come take me away." The crowed roared but she acted as though she couldn't see any of them and he imagined she was looking straight into the camera just for him, "I don't care if the whole world burns; cuz baby don't you think it's their turn?"

Another roar tore from the crowed and he could hear them chanting her name as loudly as they could, their hands in the air and reaching for her as though she'd become a lost profit, "The light here is so bright and, I'm not sure if they can understand, so baby just please take my hand..." the notes slowed and she stepped away a pace as the music rushed past her. Still, she stubbornly clung to the sad rift she'd first started out with, "Let's just go away; let come what may. I don't care if they all rage, I won't let them put you in that golden cage. So let me take you away."

The abrupt end of the song allowed the dull roar in the seats strengthen to a full powerful storm of screaming people begging for more but Once-ler had to mute the television and close his eyes for a moment to collect himself. Perhaps it was just him, or maybe it was just because he knew her so well, but that song wasn't just words slapped against a piece of paper. It didn't matter what he did anymore, contracts were contracts and the only thing to do about it was suffer two more years of undoubted misery at the hands of blood thirsty money mongrels or be sued past the point of being bankrupt and losing the deed to the forest.

Sighing he leaned forward again and watched the far more colorful than usual Juniper walk across the stage with fingers that danced over the guitar strings and he took mute off, listening to the rest of her show in the darkened room. Her face, despite her make-up artists efforts to do otherwise, couldn't mask her true beauty, and even though her hair looked like an artistically arranged pile of colored hay he could remember how it would glint naturally in the sunlight.

When the show ended she lifted her fist and stood for a few seconds before turning and walking off stage, it didn't take long for his phone to ring and he hurriedly pulled it from his pocket and grinned when he seen her name light up on the ID, "Loved the show, Juni." he congratulated her warmly, "Really loved the first song, what did you call that?"

"Oh, I'm _so_ glad you asked, it's called 'Once-ler is a jerk for not showing up!'." She responded jokingly on the other line and he chuckled, "It's okay, though, because I had your picture taped to the chair and knew you'd be watching so I'm letting you off the hook." she laughed bit before pausing and going on, "I didn't want to tell you before, but I think I probably should now."

"They've got me on this new medication to help me stay awake during the day, seems to have a bit of a kick to it, though." he closed his eyes and pinched his nose, "I've only been taking it since yesterday, I don't really like them because they make everything move kind of fast, you know?"

"No, I don't know. Just stop taking them, you don't have to swallow everything they throw at you, Juni." He shook his head and stood up, walking into the rarely used kitchen and grabbed one of the crystal glasses, "It can't be good for your health to be taking something to help you sleep, then turning around and taking something to keep you awake?" filling it with water he turned and leaned his hip against the counter, "It even sounds stupid, and if two things that don't mix well it's chemicals and stupidity."

She laughed again, "Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same thing. I'll proba-" she was cut off suddenly and the dial tone sounded, indicating that she'd either hung up or had been disconnected. Annoying, but not unusual; one of the main reasons why he preferred their bulkier home versions. He sighed and filled the empty glass with water.

Closing the phone he made it back to the living room when it started ringing again and he picked up fully expecting to hear Juniper's voice, "Did you watch the concert?" his mother's voice asked instead and he frowned in disappointment, "She was _so_ beautiful, why haven't I ever thought of wearing my hair like that?"

"Probably because it's hideous, mother." he answered truthfully, "They put her in that getup because they thought she needed a gimmick, not because she wanted to." He flopped back down onto the sofa and his drink sloshed onto the carpet, for a moment he considered wiping it up then decided he was just disappointed he hadn't filled it with pasta sauce.

His mother sighed, "Really, of course she'd say that to you. Men have no idea what's fashionable and what's not; that's why I made sure to have all those suits made for you." he looked down at his black and green pin stripped jacket and mentally admitted that he didn't hate it, "I had to do the same thing for your father, and I picked out his clothes every day without fail, he just couldn't do a thing without my help, you know."

Once-ler rolled his eyes and changed his order from pasta sauce to whatever hard alcohol was closet at hand in the nearest liquor store. However he didn't want to leave... Then again, he didn't want to stay, either; once he'd gotten over the novelty of all the flashy bells and whistles the penthouse had he'd discovered that the only thing that made the damn place even livable was Juni; however he out right refused to go back to the forest without her. The thought of it alone made him sick after he'd been the one to leave first with the full expectations that she follow him. Which she had.

Then she'd suffered for half a year to the point that she was now medicated to both sleep and stay awake, "They've got her on pills now." he told his mother idly, "To stay awake."

"But I thought she had trouble sleeping." he could picture his mother frowning now and secretly grinned, the doctors would no doubt receive angry phone calls first thing in the morning that wouldn't end until his mother had her full say in the matter. "Wasn't she having trouble with her sleeping?"

"Yeah, she still takes those, too." His mother gasped and he smirked. At the very least he could now rest assured that, if Juni continued taking them or not, the doctors would get a full ear-piercing fury that only an angry mother could deliver. Isabella was not a woman to be taken lightly, once she got her claws into those idiot doctors they would forever think twice before each prescription given. If there was one thing that he knew his mother wouldn't tolerate it was putting the health of one of her meal tickets in danger; even if she didn't get them to stop giving Juniper pills she would still manage to make them miserable.

He spent another few minutes on the phone as his mother quizzed him all he knew about the medications, which was anything more then 'one to sleep, one to wake' and probably set kindling to an already building inferno of rage before claiming exhaustion and hanging up the phone. "I see you over there, Mustache."

"You know what the leading cause of death for famous musicians is, Beanpole?" The Lorax asked in responce and Once-ler reluctantly nodded his head, "Good, because I didn't want to tell you." the furry guy came up beside him and sat down on the couch, "It looks like you've finally had enough of living in this fancied up tuna can."

He nodded, "Yep, Juni was right, leaving was a mistake." he sighed, "Thankfully, it's one that can be remedied once she gets back." the Lorax nodded his acceptance sagely and Once-ler grinned, "What? Nothing to say about two idiot humans moving in on your territory?"

The Lorax narrowed his eyes and made a great display of thinking it over before he leveled a serious look into his friends eyes, "Pluming? Running water? Shoot, if you really wanted to do the thing properly you'd need a whole house, wouldn't you?"

"You'd let me build a house?" Once-ler laughed disbelievingly. Through all the time he'd known the creature the number one thing he worried about constantly was his forest and never even allowed more then ten people onto the property at one time, and even then only under the strictest of supervision. "How am I suppose to get a house built without bringing in a crew?"

The Lorax shrugged, "I supposed you'd just have to build it yourself then, wouldn't you Beanpole?"

He looked at the funny little guardian sitting beside him on the couch before slowly letting a grin form on his face, "You know, I suppose you're right." he sat forward and dug his phone back out of his pocket, looking up to see that the Lorax had decided to disappear on him again, "When Juni and I move back you'd better have your peek-a-boo game out of your system." he joked, leaning back and calling one of many connections, "Mr. Sacs, hey it's Once-ler... Yes, it was a fantastic party."

* * *

Juniper walked off the stage not even remembering the name of the town she was in and immediately dodged into her dressing room before anyone could come backstage and try cornering her. It was difficult to get a moments peace, let alone a moments privacy, to even think of calling Once-ler and if she were completely honest with herself it was greatly affecting her to not hear his voice. In the penthouse she could at least see and speak with him on occasion, or even just get up and go visit him if she had the mind. Now he was hundreds of miles away and she couldn't even call him because whoever listened in could sell whatever she said to whomever they wanted.

Being a rock star wasn't all she had thought it would be... She loved that everyone enjoyed her songs and called her name, but she hated that the majority of them firmly believed they shared a 'deep connection' with each other. She also loathed the mass amounts of hate mail that had inspired her to hire people to sort through it before giving it to her. The open adoration, simply put, wasn't worth the price they wanted her to pay and she flat out refused to yield to their demands.

Checking her phone for missed calls she put it back down in disappointment before narrowing her eyes and picking it back up and scrolling through the contacts she pressed the go button and waited impatiently for Once-ler to pick up. It rang for what felt like hours before he finally answered, breathing heavy and sounding exhausted, "Juni, hi! I'm glad you called."

She blinked before frowning, "Why? To lazy to dial the phone yourself?" she asked rudely, putting a hand on her hip and narrowing her eyes further, "I'm not the only one who can call, Oncie, or are you trying to avoid me?"

"What? No, why would I avoid you?" He sighed as though even the slightest of idea of doing anything of the sort was so unthinkable that a reason for the suggestion was a necessary. She didn't have a reason to give, however, so she bit her lip and pouted instead; "Stop sulking."

"No, I've got every reason to sulk." She whined pitifully, "They keep dressing me up in these horrible clothes and make me prance around like I'm proud to be seen by thousands of people looking like an out of work clown. They won't let me eat chocolate. I got called_ fat_ by my drummer, the king of all jerks. I'm sure there's more, but my shell shocked mind doesn't want to remember them and I'm not going to make it." she took the phone into the small closet like bathroom she'd been provided and closed the door, turning and sitting on the toilet.

Once-ler sighed heavily, "Well then sulk away, Juni, I'll listen to you complain until you feel better and then we can have a nice long talk about whatever else you'd like. I've been wanting to hear your voice for a while now anyways but I never know when to call you." the thought of him even wondering gave her a warm tingly feeling and she didn't try to suppress her pleased smile from spreading across her face.

"Let's just skip to talking about whatever I want." She joked, leaning against the back of the toilet and propping her feet on the wall. She hoped she left stains. Big ones. She slid her feet down a bit for good measure and smirked, "I've decided that I dislike almost everyone here, not that it's really a surprising discovery. Just bares mentioning is all."

Once-ler gave a deep chuckle that she'd missed and she whispered, "I'm messing up their bathroom walls right now... Feel the power of my angry foot prints and be amazed, puny whiny people." he laughed more and she giggled with him, "Seriously, I hope it stains forever. I hope it bleeds through the next coat of paint they use to try to get rid of it."

"Hundreds of years down the line and people will look at that wall and know Juniper Fallie was in a bad mood." Once-ler joked and she cracked up, "You still on those pills?"

She shook her head, "Nope, there was a bit of trouble with the uppers that landed me in the hospital for a bit. Nothing serious, just a bit of observation." she smiled a bit at one of the grayish stains she'd streaked across the wall, "Apparently there was a complaint filed against my doctor for over medicating patients, took a while for me to shake off everything and I'm still having trouble sleeping, but I feel much better now without them."

"Ah, yes, afraid my mother heard about your increased medication and didn't take it well." He sounded more amused then contrite and she shook her head in good humor, "So how's life on the road so far? A full month in with twenty-three to go, right?"

She snorted, "Somewhat right, I get to come back for a little while in a few weeks once I've finished with my tour and start my recording. Depending on how the record moves from the shelves I might not have to do another concert until next year." she reached up and smeered some of the fucia eye liner they'd drawn onto her and looked at her fingers, "I can't say that I'll miss my hair and make-up team half as much as I'm going to miss my stage costumes."

"So you're starting to like the clothes, then?" He asked, his voice choking in surprise and she had to laugh a bit more as she pictured his wide-eyed shocked expression, "You're not going to wear them back home, are you?"

She shook her head again, "I just mean that the clothes are less bossy; I guess they think I need it so people in the back rows can see it; which is kind of funny since I've been in the back rows before and I can promise you that the only thing they're seeing is a blob color running around on stage." he laughed and she opened her mouth to tell him more when someone started banging on her bathroom door. "Who is it?"

"Macie, Miss. Fallie, I'm here to help you change." She sighed and glared at the wall again, trying to rub the stains in further before sitting up and telling Once-ler she had to go. Disappointment colored his tone, though, and left her feeling a happy and warm until she opened the bathroom door and seen the tall girl waiting for her to come out, "Oh, Miss. Fallie, why didn't you tell us your bathroom was so stained?"

She smirked with a shrug and slipped into the dressing room doing a mental happy dance, "I really don't mind them, Macie, just someone's bad mood is all." going across the room she began to pull the any layers of odd clothing over her head, humming a song and tossing them to the floor with a pleased flick of the wrist. She probably really shouldn't be happy that she might have really stained the walls, but she was and she wasn't going to fight the feeling that had been so long in it's last visit.

"Are you going to the after-party tonight?" Macie asked as she bent over to retrieve the carelessly thrown clothes, "I heard it's going to be at you hotel tonight and you look like you're in a good mood." Juniper shook her head, though, and the other woman's smile fell a bit, "But you never go to the parties and they're really so much fun."

The blonde paused as she was removing the frilly fluffy layered skirt and paint splatter print leggings and frowned, "No, they're loud and obnoxious; and it's hard to breath in all that smoke." she argued, pulling the clothes free of her legs and tossing them to the other woman before replacing the monstrosity of an outfit with a pair of simple jeans and a tank top, "By the time you've even factored in the groupies and the alcohol it's already a miserable night. You go in my place, okay?"

"I'm going in my place, Miss. Fallie, the record company isn't going to be happy if you keep dodging these parties." The warning had a serious note attached and Juniper looked over at the fidgeting girl behind her with a slender golden arch of her brow serving as question enough, "It's just that I over heard Frankie mentioning something that has me and the girls a little worried. If you did agree to making appearances then I'm going to have to insist that you go."

Juniper frowned and nodded reluctantly, "I see your point." she muttered and the woman's shoulders sagged a bit in releif, making Juniper feel a bit bad for her casual disregard in her treatment. She pushed her bared feet into some plain brown leather sandles and turned to face her, "Listen, Macie, I know I've been kind of rude to you since we've met and you really haven't done anything to earn it.-"

"Don't worry about it, Miss. Fallie; if someone kept stuffing these awful clothes onto me I'd feel a little disgruntled with them as well." She was smiling and Juniper laughed, "If it makes you feel any better, though, the one we all hate is Frankie."

Juniper nodded before her eyes light up and a slow devious smile crossed her face without her knowing, "Well, since I want to make it up to you, how about I do it with a laugh?" Macie looked at her with curiousity written all over her face and Juniper touched her cheek, "I'll make _sure_ he has the time of his _life_."

* * *

When Juniper stepped into the hotel room that they were using for an after-party she had to scrunch her nose against the scent of sweaty bodies and stale ashtrays. She wasn't planning on staying long to begin with but that didn't stop her from reaffirming that she'd only stay ten minutes and leave. Macie walked in behind her, still fidgeting and looking as though she wanted to be anywhere else, "Stop acting like that you'll bring attention to me."

"Why did you have to tell me what you're going to do?" Macie whined plaintively, "I'm horrible at keeping secrets, it's why nobody tells me anything."

Juniper smirked and patted the other woman's arm comfortingly, "Don't worry, you won't have to keep it for long; and if they ask you anything just keep laughing and pretend you can't talk, okay?" she ordered before touching her nose and slipping away to find her target. He was easily spotted with a large group of trashy looking girls and she rolled her eyes, leave it to the drummer to look for the sluttiest looking women in the room. "Frankie, hey, nice seeing you here." she greeted, walking up to the man and looking down at him smugly when he glared up at her, "So what did the doctor tell you about the.. um.." She gave a dramatic pause, making sure to look at the group of girls before redirection her eyes at the glaring man, "thing."

"Cram it, Fallie, you know I ain't been to no doctor!" he snapped, leaning forward with a beer bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other, "What game are you trying to play?"

She gave a wide eyed look of innocence, "Frankie what is _with_ you? You know I'm just worried about your health, what kind of friend are you taking me-" she cut herself off tried to widen her eyes even more, "oh, wait! I'm sorry, you're right." attaching a nervous giggle her eyes slid over the girls again and she cleared her throat, "We'll just talk later then, okay?"

She turned and left the small, now slightly quieter, group and walked over to the long table of refreshments the hotel had put in for their use and looked around for any available material to use in her vengeance. If she did it well enough she might not even have to worry about the jerk ratting her out to the record label for missing another party. "Try this." A voice whispered and she looked over to see Frankie's stylist standing beside her and looking over the spread of food when a small round tin was pressed into the back of her hand. She opened her palm and smirked when it was dropped inside, "It's just rouge, but he's allergic to it. I'm not sure what else you're planning on doing, but that little act over there was to brilliant to let it go to waste."

She grabbed a handful of chips and wandered away, her red leather clad form easily mixing in with the rest of the crowd and Juniper slipped the tin into her jeans and picked up a canned soda to take away with her. The rouge was a bonus, but she needed something so publicly humiliating and potentially career ruining that a small rash wouldn't cover it.

Thankfully, it wasn't to long until she spotted a twitchy looking man holding a monkey and she zeroed in on him, sliding up to his side and offering him a warm smile in greeting, "Hey, I'm Juni Fallie, you enjoying the party?" she asked him happily.

He looked over at her and nearly dropped the drink he was holding in his effort to nod his head, "Yes, I am!" He shouted, blushing largely when he realized he'd screamed in her face. "S-sorry, I've just never met a celebrity before, and you're, like, the biggest of the big right now!" He flung his arms out and his drink went sailing over head to rain down upon the unsuspecting people behind him. Juniper snorted and didn't bother covering the bright laugh at watching a dozen or so people quickly scatter out of the way. He shook his head in horror, "Sorry, sorry, I swear it's just water!" He shouted at them.

Juniper laughed more, "Don't worry, they're just not use to the stuff." she quipped and he gave a nervous laugh. She patted his arm, "Seriously, if you could follow us around and just do _that_ at every after-party I might actually go to them more." he gave a real laugh that time and she grinned, "So what's your name and what's with your monkey?"

He looked at the monkey that sat peacefully on his shoulder and laughed, "I'm Allen and this isn't my monkey." He answered, looking back at Juniper with a somewhat confused grin, "Someone came up and put him on me, I'm to scared to move him, though. I heard once that they can tear your face straight off with, like, no effort whatsoever."

Juniper arched her brows and looked at the monkey before she held her arm out and the little gray animal left his perch to crawl on her arm and take a seat at her shoulder. Allen, looking both relieved and worried, twitched again, "Don't worry, I'm great with animals." Juniper boasted to him and he relaxed somewhat, "Do me a favor, okay?" He nodded and she gave him a large wink, "Forget that I stole the monkey."

She walked away with a wave over her shoulder and left the party with only a few people's eyes on her and silently thanked the invisible bouncers in the room for keeping the would-be photographers of snapping her picture with her furry evidence sitting on her shoulder with an arm around her head. The long brightly lit white halls were a dramatic difference and she sighed thankfully when she stepped onto the plush bright cherry red carpeting before walking to the elevator and going to the top floor. She made one detour, slipping inside an empty room that had obviously been tidied up by housekeeping and deposited the monkey in the bathroom before reaching into her pocket and opening the tin. After carefully folding the blankets apart she sprinkled the rouge onto the bright red sheets and smirked, aside from a bit of glitter it was hardly noticeable. She remade the bed and slipped out, looking at the watch on her wrist she was pleased to see it hadn't even taken her five minutes.

She went to her own room afterward and made a few calls before getting ready for bed and falling asleep.

* * *

The next day, while Once-ler sat on top of a large pile of lumber eating a plain ham sandwich and reading the daily newspaper, he stumbled across a picture that had him spitting the chewed remains all over the grass before him. His phone started ringing and he looked down to see his mother's ID come up, but didn't answer it; instead staring in confused amusement at the picture of Juniper's naked drummer running out of his hotel room covered in a weird rash with a monkey on his back pulling at his hair.

He shook his head and closed the paper, taking another bite of his sandwich.

* * *

Authors Note: So, what do you do when your dreams come true and you find that they don't quite match what you pictured? Apparently you suffer through it until you can get back out... But is it really so easy to get out of a life-style that has placed you on bill boards, televisions, magazines, and newspapers? Is it so simple to just fade into the background after living center stage in mid spot light? Can you just expect people to forget who your are at your convenience?

Well, I suppose we'll get our answers soon enough.


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note: Sorry, I just can't take this plain story anymore, I've gotta add at least a _little_ drama to it, even if nobody else likes it. What kind of story doesn't have _any_ suspense? Besides, Once-ler hasn't had anything bad happen to him really, and that's just driving me out of my mind... Character's are supposed to suffer, it's what makes them entertaining to read about. So as I sit here wondering what I could do to him that can quickly be resolved in a single chapter I sigh and throw my hands up before giving you this.

* * *

Also, after careful consideration, I've decided to end this fiction several chapters earlier than originally intended; with the removal of nearly half the story line it's difficult for me to continue to be interested and there doesn't seem to be that many people going for it, either. Don't worry, though, because I've decided to use this as a sort of character development for Juniper; I've also got to work on some key points (dialog, description, and reactions) so I can't say that I'm totally disappointed in Falling Deep.

Juniper sat in the corner of the spacious hotel room that had been provided to her and nervously chewed on her thumb nail, not quite sure if the little orange rabbit on the television was glaring at her or smiling at her. Her leg bounced slightly as she continued to stare at the increasingly offensive rabbit as it watched her with contempt and bitter amusement, "What the _hell_ do you want from me!?" she screamed at it, throwing her useless cell phone at the creature and watching in amazement as it flew straight through to smash into the wall behind.

She blinked before a strangled giggle escaped her throat and crawled from the safety of her corner to the television set to poke at the orange bunny, but it hopped away before she could touch it. With wide eyes she watched it bounce right through the hotel door and into the halls before letting a wide grin slide onto her face, "Yeah, that's what I thought!" with another shaky laugh she stood and hobbled over to the couch, her smug grin still in place as she flopped down onto it.

Recently she had started to be accosted by animals of all sort, and they would always come in the oddest of ways; just last night a turtle had climbed out of her shower head; so of course she had taken the shower head off to see how it had fit through those tiny little holes. Then the time before that she had seen a little mouse drinking a cup of coffee the door knob of her bedroom door, it had waved cheerily at her before shooting off through the ceiling like a furry little rocket.

She heaved a sigh and dug into her pocket, pulling out a slim bottle of pills and opening it only to realize that the rabbit had absconded with the majority of her pills. "You thieving little whore!" Juniper screamed, spinning about to angrily throw the remaining pills at the door only to see the confused and worried eyes of her stylist, Macie. "Macie! Get that rabbit!" she screeched, storming over to the door and slipping around the startled brunette.

The rabbit smirked at her from the end of the hall, standing in front of the elevator with both paws filled with the small white pills that were missing from her bottle, "Give those back!" She screamed at it, racing for the small animal as quickly as she could.

"Juniper, what the _hell_!?" Macie yelled, but Juniper had already dove for the bastard critter before belatedly realizing she couldn't touch it with just enough time to cover her head before she slammed into the metal doors.

She weakly heard Macie sprint over and felt her kneel beside her, "Juniper, what were you thinking?" she asked, pulling Juniper's arm until she was laying on her back and staring at the ceiling, "Have you lost your mind?"

Slowly lifting a hand and pointing at the rabbit beside them she licked her lips and answered, "He took my pills, filthy rabbit, they don't even need pills."

Macie looked over and frowned, "What are you talking about? There isn't any rabbit there."

* * *

Once-ler stepped back, wiping sweat from his brow and stuffing the well used hammer into the simple leather belt around his waist to admire his handy work. Before him sat a small freshly built and unpainted cottage, simply built with but with cute little garden boxes under the front two windows that, while empty now, would surely hold brightly colored flowers soon. The truffula trees around it made it seem even plainer, but he was sure once he added paint it would suit him and Juniper just fine, "What do you guys think?"

He turned to see the approval of the animals that stood in line behind him, smiling as he watched a few of the bar-ba-loots come closer to inspect his work up close. One snorted and swiped at the mailbox he'd put up and he rolled his eyes, "Well we've got to get our mail, guys, and I'm _not_ going to the post every day to get it." he hefted the rather large bar-ba-loot up and set him in front of the door, opening it largely to allow it inside, "Check it out." he encouraged simply before scurrying out of the way of the small stampede of animals.

Once he was sure all that had wanted in was in he made to enter himself, unsurprised when he felt his feet knocked out from under him. Picking himself up he cast an accusing gaze into the house dusted off his rump before dodging in and stepping away just in case it happened again. The inside basically consisted of three rooms, one of which was the wide area that would hold the den, dining area, and kitchen all in one and he grinned. "It's not fancy, but there's a bedroom and a bathroom in back with," He took the hammer out and spun it in his now expert hands before dropping it onto his foot. He yelped and lifted a foot to rub his toes, "working pluming."

As the animals continued to explore the house he hobbled over to the partially built cabinets and hopped on top to better inspect his throbbing foot, "I gotta admit, Beanpole, you didn't do as bad as I thought you would." The Lorax complimented and he looked over his shoulder to see him leaning in through through the window.

He smirked, "Considering this is the first time I've ever built a house I'll take that as a compliment." he joked, "You coming in to give it a closer look?" the Lorax obliged by coming the rest of the way in and hopping off the counter and looking around the new cottage with a critical eye, "Good luck on finding anything to complain about, I thoroughly did my research before starting this little project." he walked over to the light switch by the front door and cockily switched it on, "Behold, light!"

"Not bad, Beanpole, not bad." Once-ler crossed his arms and nodded in self-congratulatory confidence and the Lorax rolled his eyes, "You planning on sharing a room with Juniper then, or is she supposed to sleep on the couch again?"

Once-ler grinned and gestured for his friend to follow him, leading him to what would soon be a bedroom. "I thought about adding a second room, but if I did that it would have messed up the rest of the floor plans, so I figured it would be okay to just share a room. It's not like we haven't done it before, after all." the room was large enough to easily hold two small beds on either side and he crossed his arms over his chest. If he were a completely honest man, which he no longer was, he would have admitted to the Lorax he'd merely just wanted to share a room with Juniper. The knowledge that she would be just across the room left a warm feeling in his chest that hadn't been there since they'd left the tent.

"Sure, Beanpole, blame floor plans." The Lorax razzed in amusement, "Because nobody's going to know that you designed this place yourself and just _couldn't_ make any alterations." he laughed and crossed over to the small closet that Once-ler had built and looked inside

Once-ler looked down at the orange fuzz ball and scrunched his nose, "Well they won't unless you tell them otherwise." He finally stated evenly, "Which you won't, because you're my buddy and my buddy wouldn't do that to me, right?"

The Lorax chuckled, "Sure I would, _buddy_."

It took a solid three days of painting and another two to let the paint dry before Once-ler could add the carpeting and tiles and call the place finished. Then, deciding there was something missing, he built a small bench and painted it red before placing it in what he'd started calling the front yard under a truffula tree and crossed his arms proudly. It was bright, colorful, and merged with the rest of the forest rather nicely, not really standing out, but not really blending in either.

The only thing he didn't like was that some of the lumber had sat on the grass for to long and had withered and discolored it a bit, leaving some bare spots where dirt showed through. He'd covered it with fresh grass seed, but not knowing at all how long it took grass to grow he didn't know how long it would take to sprout. He would give it a week before he just turned it into a garden or something and just pretended that it had been his intention all along to have one in such a strange spot.

He was just wiping the sweat from his brow on the sleeve of his shirt when he felt his phone vibrate from his plain black slacks; pulling it out he flipped it open and put it to his ear without looking at the contact, "Hello, Once-ler speaking." he answered cheerily.

"Yes, hello Mr. Once-ler, this is Dr. Vance Moss with Cross Gates Drug Rehabilitation Center, you're listed as an emergency contact for one of our patients, Miss. Juniper Fallie, and it's my responsibility to inform you that she's requesting an early release against the recommendation of our facility."

Once-ler froze, his heart stilling in his chest as he stared blankly ahead of him, "Sorry, what?"

The doctor explained again and Once-ler was at the airport not two hours later with a duffel pack thrown around his shoulder and his schedule cleared with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't even known the pills had become an issue, had convinced himself that Juniper was smart enough to stop taking them. Apparently, he'd been wrong.

Stepping onto the airplane he got situated and prepared himself for the four hour long flight across country to fetch his idiot friend and bring her back home. There was no way her record label would expect her to finish her last six shows, and if they did they could kiss his ass and deal with his very capable lawyers who were already alerted and building up a counter suit against the agency.

* * *

Juniper sat crossly inside the white treatment room with several other people discussing their addictions and the cause of them. When it got to her turn she looked at everyone as though they were idiots and snorted, "I'm not addicted to anything, I just took to much of my medication by mistake!" she snapped, finally losing her temper at the expectant eyes, "I've been telling you this for days, do I look addicted to anything to you?"

The nurse sighed and wrote something on her pen pad and Juniper rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, they wouldn't be happy unless she told them she was addicted and she refused to tell them she was when she wasn't. It was like a long and tiresome race around the track to see which of them would give up first, "Miss. Fallie, if you don't participate properly in group the doctor will never sign your release papers."

"Then get comfortable having me around, lady." Juniper bite back, flicking some red fuzz off her blue sweat pants as she glared at a dark stain near her left foot. She'd been in the treatment center for nearly a week now and the only thing they wanted her to do was sit around talking about how addicted she was to her uppers (which she no longer took at _her_ request) and talk about how they've ruined her life.

Well she had news for them, her life wasn't ruined. Sure, her career probably was, but that was just fine with her; she was tired of dealing with drugged out band members she hardly knew and hotel hopping from one ritzy joint to another before she could even remember the hotel name. She did feel a bit bad for Macie to have found her like that, but Macie was an understanding woman and wouldn't break their friendship over it. As a matter of fact, Macie was the only one to call her every day and see how she was doing in prison; not the funniest of jokes, but she'd take it with a giggle nonetheless.

The nurse sighed, calling the end of the group session and Juniper was up and out of the room before many of the tweakers and junkies had even stood up. It was insulting being compared to them, who used their drugs for 'recreation', however she'd quickly discovered complaining about it only got her disapproving looks from just about everyone. Turning a corner she made a bee line for the front desk again and leaned over it to smile charmingly at the old woman stationed behind it, "Any chance for a coffee break, Linda?" she asked sweetly.

The old woman giggled, "Now Juniper, you know the doctors said you can't have anything addictive, it could hurt the treatment you've received so far." she lectured playfully as she lifted a large white mug up and swirled it around in a teasing manner. Juniper knelt infront of the counter and put her chin up, pouting pathetically at the woman, "If that worked on me everyone would be carting around a coffee cup."

The younger woman finally grinned, "Fine, I'll give you something good today, then." she reached into her pocket and withdrew one of the new scent line samples Once-ler had mailed to her a few weeks before, "Truffula Dreams, I am the _only_ one who has this. Not even Oncie's mother got one of these, but if you give me your coffee right there then it's _all_ yours."

The coffee was quickly pressed into her hands and Juniper happily placed the small bottle into the waiting palms of the desk nurse, "There you go, Linda! You're the proud new owner of the _most_ selective of perfumes that will only be shared by us two, and only for the price of a cup of coffee." She lifted the cup to her nose and breathed in deeply, sighing out happily as she took her first swallow, "Oh, you even added in milk for me, Linda I love you."

"Of course you do, sweetie, now go away before someone sees I've just drugged you with caffeine." Linda commanded with a smile and Juniper gave a wink before turning away to take her prize back to her room to enjoy. Going down the white hospital like halls of the center was dizzying and still difficult for her to navigate, but she managed to get back to the room she was allowed to herself and sat on her bed, sipping the badly brewed but expertly mixed coffee at her leisure.

She'd just finished the cup and had stuffed the evidence in the back of the toilet of her bathroom when she heard her door open and had to flush to cover up the sound of porcelain rubbing against porcelain, "Who is it?" she called, eying the back of the toilet closely before shrugging and stepping out into her room to see her doctor. "Oh, you, what is it?"

"For one, I'd like you to stop tempting Linda into giving you coffee, what would happen if the other patients realized they could do the same?" The man asked in a friendly tone, a clip board tucked under his arm.

Juniper scrunched her nose, "Wow, they've all got Thneed Industry connections, too?" she gasped falsely before walking over to her bed and sitting down on the stiff plastic mattress, "Just so you know, Linda only does high quality trades because she's a high quality lady, so they'd better bring only the best if they plan on dealing with her."

"That's besides the point, Juniper." The doctor chuckled, leaning a hip against her door frame and putting a hand on his hip, "I'm also going to have to ask you to stop stashing the empty cups in the back of the toilet, it's starting to bother the cleaning staff and you just don't want to know what could happen if you annoy them to much."

Juniper considered that for a moment, remember once upon a time when she'd worked as a house keeper for a rich family and had to constantly pull nasty girl panties from the playboy son from the shower drain a nodded, "That's a good point." she agreed finally. She had caused that boy all kinds of torment from nasty sheets to tossing out his many drug paraphernalia and massive porn collection in the family garbage.

"What are you bothering me for, anyways? Our meeting isn't until four and as much as I just love sitting around listening to how horrible my life is from someone who doesn't know me, I'd prefer sticking to the schedule." she said it with a smile, however she was dead serious. As attractive and nice as the doctor was she had little intention of listening to him harp on her for an hour and a half until she absolutely had to.

The man grinned and nodded his head, "Yes, but it's come to my attention that, despite my recommendation otherwise, your release papers have been signed and a Mr. Once-ler is waiting in th-"

"Oncie's here?" She gasped, leaping up from the mattress and walking to the door with a large smile on her face, "Keep my stuff, doc, consider it a reminded that not everyone you deal with is a drug induced loser speeding down the road of failure." she paused and waited for the man to move, however when he didn't she frowned, "My papers are signed, you just said so yourself, keeping me any longer-"

The doctor held up a hand, stalling the angry girl before him, "I want you to know that what we were trying to do here was help you; you are addicted to uppers whither you want to be or not, and it's an addiction that you will not be able to control by yourself."

"Yes it is, because I'm not taking them anymore, am I?" Juniper snapped back harshly and the doctors yes widened a bit, "That's the good thing about me, Dr. Moss, I'm perfectly capable of learning from my mistakes and _not doing them again_." she slid around him and gave him a quick grin, "But I'll tell you what, if you ever see me in here again I promise I'll do your stupid group sessions, admit that I'm an uncontrollable addict, and stop bribing Linda into giving me her coffee."

He looked blankly at her before a slow smile spread across his face, "Deal."

Juniper walked to the lobby and was amazed at how her eyes immediately spotted the tall man standing by Linda's desk, laughing with the older woman as he bent over to lean on the counter. He was smiling normally, the dimples on his cheeks and his kind shining grayish green eyes and her heart nearly faltered. He looked so much like how he used to, before he'd struck it rich nearly over night and became one of the fiercest businessmen in Thneedsville; and when he looked up and seen her the smile grew even larger, making him appear dopy and hickish.

She must have looked pretty stupid too because hen his eyes met hers he gave a shout of laughter and shook his head, "That pink's really vivid in person, huh?" he joked. She touched her hair and stuck out her tongue before racing to him and dive bombing him with a hug so tight she could have broken one of his ribs. His arms wrapped around her just as tightly, though, so she doubted he minded the sudden intrusion of his personal space, "Seems like Linda here smells an awfully lot like I'd thought you would."

"I wanted to give her something to remember me by." Juniper quipped, giving the older woman a large wink before she started tugging Once-ler towards the locked glass doors with a brightly lit exit sign overhead, "Now let's see if it works or not by getting out of here so she can _try_ to forget me." she waved to the only soul in the clinic she gave half a damn about as she dragged the still laughing Once-ler out of the building.

The car he was driving was a simple black one she didn't recognize, not that she should because she never cared to tell which was which, and she hopped into the passenger seat happily. The fact that Once-ler had come himself to pick her up hopefully meant that he'd come to take her back to Thneedsville, and when he got into the drivers side she turned to assure herself of this, "We're going back, right?"

"Well, half right." He answered cryptically, but his smile didn't waver and so she didn't let it bother her to much. She buckled herself in and waited for him to start the car, "Can I ask why you were admitted to a drug rehabilitation clinic, Juni?"

She turned and looked into his concerned eyes, "You can't think that I intentionally would drug myself? I thought you knew me better than that." shifting in her seat she frowned out the window shield and sighed, "One day I woke up, took the pill, and forgot I'd taken it so I took another one. After that I can't really remember much but apparently it involved a few days without sleep and a few more pills."

He made a displeased noise and started the car, "I knew something like this would eventually happen, that's why I told you to stop taking them." his words sounded harsh and releived at the same time and Juniper grinned at him, "Stop smiling at me, I'm pretty upset with you right now."

"Well I'm happy to see you so I don't care." she snipped jokingly and was rewarded with a slight twitch of Once-ler's lips, "I learned how to fold origami, would you feel better if I made you a heart?" she was already reaching for a napkin he'd stuffed into the cup holder and began folding it before he could answer. It took less than thirty seconds before she handed him a tiny coffee stained white heart and he looked at it before crumpling the heart between their palms as he entwined his fingers through hers, bringing the back of her hand his lips silently.

She felt the warmth spread across her cheek as his breath fanned against her skin before he let their entwined fingers rest against the shared armrest between them. The rest of the drive was intoxicating and awkward, but the comfortable pressure remained against her palm and even the tickle of the napkin wasn't enough to make her let go. The banter and easy conversations she was used to having with him was no where in sight and the fact was a strange reassurance to her.

The flight was long and annoying enough to wipe all previously romantic actions the man had displayed to her and left only the whining and a vague sense of unbalance when they finally touched down in Thneedsville. "Stop being such a baby, Juni, we're almost home." Once-ler laughed at her and she scrunched her nose in rebellion, "Keep that face on and see how fast that gets you an ice cream on the way."

"I don't want an ice cream. I want to strangle the fat guy in front of me for having his seat all the way back through the entire trip." Juniper grouched, giving the seat in front of her a good kick to let the man know she was definitely talking about him. He turned around to glare at her before her trademark hair was noticed, the would be argument ended with an autograph from both her and Once-ler and a mini-photo shoot once they'd deboarded the plane.

When they finally stepped out into the brightly colored town that Juniper hadn't realized she'd missed she wasn't sure if she wanted to dance or make a run for the waiting limo. She chose a mix between the two and did a weird little skip-dance that involved twirls and ballerina leaps until she made it to the shinny black door that was held open by the driver and slipped in, bouncing on the seat happily. As Once-ler slipped in behind her she ignored his amused grin and happily slipped out of the white sneakers she'd worn since leaving the clinic.

They stopped once for ice cream on Once-ler's orders and soon she had a large chocolate cone pressed into her hands and she grinned happily at it, forgetting how much she missed the cold treat after her image consultant had forbid the stuff. After the first few licks she grinned at Once-ler and nodded, "You were right, I wanted it." she confided with a laugh.

"Of course I was right." he stated cockily, leaning back to enjoy his own vanilla with his feet propped up on the seat opposite to them, his scuffed brown leather shoes looking out of place against the polished black leather.

She crossed her sock covered feet over his long legs and leaned back as well, slouching into the seat comfortably, "So we're celebrating my return?" she asked gleefully, fully enjoying the old past time as lazily as she could, "Because if we are, then I want pancakes, and not that premixed sludge that's probably still molding in the back of your fridge, either."

He grinned at her, "I have no idea if that's there or not," he whispered to her and she laughed, "but I can promise you pancakes when we get home, I'm sure everyone's dying for them by now." she snorted, not believing for an instant his family had any interest in anything home made, when she watched them wiz past their building and continue down the street with no hint of slowing.

It wasn't until they made the first turn out of town that her feet hit the carpeted floor of the limo along with the remains of her chocolate ice cream and she looked in open mouthed shock at the still smirking man beside her, "We're going to the forest?" she asked. He shrugged and she laughed, "We're going back and you didn't even tell me, I love it! Now you really have to make pancakes or I'll never forgive you."

"I'm making pancakes." He promised, waving a dismissing hand at her, "More importantly, before you get your hopes up, the tent's been taken down." she immediately deflated and her happy stare turned into one of accusation, "The walls had molded through, Juni, you want to stay in a molding tent with no running water and no electricity?"

"Yes." She snapped, crossing her arms angrily over her chest, "Not all of us turned into snobs just by being away from home for a bit." he frowned at her and she sniffed unsparingly, redirecting her sight out her window until she felt his arm snake around her back and bring her closely to his side. The warm feeling came back to her face and she gave it a savage mental beating, "Don't snuggle me after telling me you demolished my home-"

"A tent can hardly qualify as a _home_, Juni." he pinched his fingers under her chin and turned her head out his window, "Now that?" a small brightly painted cottage came into view with fully bloomed flowers nearly bursting from cute little boxes attached to the bottom of it's front windows, " That could probably do it."

"That's a house." She stated, crawling over his lap to press her face against the window for a better view. It was small and adorable with a sweet little red bench just between the house and a pink truffula tree, "Oncie, there's a house where our tent was, how did you get a house there?" she gasped and looked at him, "Does Lorax know about this? He's going to kill you."

"You don't have to sound that excited over that possibility." he joked and she grinned, "It's fine, though, you think he'd just stand around quietly if he minded me building it?" he pointed out beside the house where the river flowed nearby, "I think he was standing right _there_ a few days ago as he informed me that painting a house purple was as smart as painting a door red."

She grinned, "Well I like the colors-" she paused and looked at him in surprise, "You painted it?"

"I built it." He informed her cockily as the car came to a stop and he opened the door to allow the now incredibly perky blonde to jump out and gape at the small mail box. He got out as well, shutting the door and stepping away to let the limo drive off and leave the two alone, "So how do you like it?"

Juniper shook her head silently, her fingers tracing their names on the mailbox quietly before giving a loud happy laugh that echoed throughout the forest, "How did you do this? I didn't know you could build anything, I thought you were a knitting man." he rolled his eyes and she giggled, "Don't worry, I like a man who knows how to knit, you know that."

He laughed and placed a hand on her lower back, guiding her to the front door and pushing her playfully inside and she squealed in delight. Even without the lights on it was brightly lit from the large windows with soft red curtains pulled back with simple, but comfortable, looking colorful living room furniture that begged to be jumped on. A large kitchen and dining area was directly beside it with a long home made dark wooden table sat with a small purple truffula sapling sitting in the center.

"This is the part where I wake up." She whispered, walking over to the table and feeling the finely polished wood under her finger tips with a big sniff. Every part of the cottage seemed to urge her to sit and relax, even the floor seemed to want her to lay on it; she hadn't seen anything so welcoming before. "It's perfect."

* * *

The next few days were pleasantly laid back and Once-ler thoroughly enjoyed every second of time he and Juniper lounged around in the comfy living room playing the guitar or splashed around in the cool river with the energetic and noisy animals.

The Lorax, oddly enough, had yet to show up since Juniper returned to the cottage and Once-ler found himself growing increasingly agitated over it. It wasn't until they were sitting at the kitchen table with their animal friends loitering about with over-stuffed bellies that he decided to make an appearance. The door had opened slowly and the Lorax shuffled in, tiredly standing just past the doorway with a tired smile, "I see you idiots finally found your way back."

Juniper squealed and jumped for him, wrapping him in a tight hug of greeting before pulling away with a frown, looking at her arms curiously. "Lorax, what's going on with your fur?"

"Tit for tat." He answered, waving the question off as he continued in, sitting at the dining table and loading his plate with pancakes. His silence bothered Once-ler as he came up to see Juniper's arms covered in thick orange fur and starred worriedly at his friend. The Lorax, however, stuffed a large bite of pancake into his mouth and sighed, "As much as I'd hate to admit it, Beanpole, I've missed your cooking."

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Once-ler asked as Juniper gently brushed the orange fur from her arms and shirt.

The Lorax looked at the two humans before him and sighed, "Yeah." he mumbled, twirling a fork in his furry fingers and shaking his head, "I'm sorry, guys, I was rooting for ya."

Suddenly Once-ler's vision became blurry and he staggered into Juniper as she gasped, reaching for his arm and clinging to it, "Trying to keep a tear closed is harder than I thought it would be, a bit more than a pitiful forest guardian like me to do." sinking to his knees Once-ler shook his head in confusion, opening his mouth to find he couldn't speak, "I want you both to know," his orange friends face looked like a smear and he had to frown to make out the twin fuzzy green circles that were the Lorax's eyes, "if it was up to me, I wouldn't change a thing."

The next day Once-ler stretched himself awake and slid his feet over the side of his mattress, yawning and scratching away the solid nights rest he'd gotten before stumbling over a stray bar-ba-loot and landing onto the ground with a muffled yelp.

Groaning, he pushed himself up and glared at the still sleeping animal before huffing out a breath of aggravation and pulling himself back up using the small night table at his bed side. "Why do you guys have to sleep in the floor?" he asked peevishly, "There's a couch right there, go sleep on it!" He waited a second before giving up on expecting a response and slipped out of his bed clothes, tossing them onto the mattress and slipping into his gray stripped slacks, button up shirt, and vest.

"Where you heading, Beanpole." The Lorax asked drowsily from his spot on the bed and Once-ler turned to him with a grin before stopping suddenly. "You okay?"

He shook his head and his smile returned, "Yeah, just... Going to go sell my Thneed." he said slowly, his eyes looking around the tent as though confused why he was standing in it before frowning a bit, "Does it feel like there's something missing?"

"Nah, must be your imagination." The Lorax said, however Once-ler was sure there was a slight glimmer of guilt. He nodded a bit and reached for his hat, putting it onto his head before grinning at the creature again, "Next time you see me I'll be the toast of the town!"

"Good luck with that, kid." The Lorax stated glumly and Once-ler rolled his eyes, the only thing the orange fuzz ball ever thought about was his precious forest. Shaking his head he snatched up the pink Thneed hanging on a hook and slipped out of the tent, he was going to sell it and live the life he'd always wanted.

* * *

Authors Note: One day (24 hours) from now I will be continuing this from where Falling Deep: Whatever it Takes starts up.


	5. Book II: Whatever it Takes

Falling Deep: Whatever It Takes

_Once-ler's plagued with visions and dreams of gentle blue eyes as Juniper finds herself in a world where she no longer belongs and the only thing they can do is struggle to remember what they would have never thought they'd ever forget. Can they stand together and challenge a power that far surpasses even that of the mighty Lorax? Can they do whatever it takes to stay together?_

_**The Lorax is one of the many wonderful creations of Dr. Suss, our beloved and eternal spinner of fun rhymes and wonderful life lessons that we all still live by today.**_

* * *

Once-ler walked down the dirt beaten path to town with Melvin, a small pack of Thneeds tucked neatly into his saddlebags, trying to chase away the nagging feeling of deja vu that trailed alongside his shadow. He felt sluggish, as though he hadn't slept in weeks despite having awoken not an hour before feeling refreshed and energetic and he kept looking to his right with the eery knowledge that something was missing. Melvin, as well, seemed to be a bit more slow than was normal for him; flicking his tail agitatedly against invisible flies.

They hadn't reached half way to town when he stopped in the middle of the road and frowned, unable to shake the feeling that something important was slipping his mind. It bothered him a great deal, so he quickly opened the saddlebags and looked inside, checking to make sure he'd brought all seven Thneeds, then patted his wallet to assure himself it was still in his pocket. He adjusted his guitar strap and shook his head, taking Melvin's lead and patting the donkey's head, "I think it's going to be an off day for us, Mel."

Melvin flicked his tail and frowned in response, nodding in agreement with his master before they continued on their way. When they got to town and headed toward the gazebo Once-ler almost didn't want to set up his sales spot, which was odd because selling his Thneed was something he had looked forward to since he'd knitted the very first one.

He set up the spot slowly, dragging his feet from one spot to the next as he tied Melvin up to the railing and set out the Thneeds on one of the benches inside before standing at the opening with guitar in hand, ready to play. People were already gathering before him, some with fruit and others with mean smiles and hard eyes; each ready to humiliate him the best that they could for their own humor. He played the first notes on his guitar and already someone shouted something, just what he wasn't sure, but he knew it was thoughtless and rude and would soon be joined by others.

He let his hand drop and looked around at the people before him again, shaking his fingers and taking a step back before gulping down a large breath. "Everybody needs a Thneed-"

"Hack!"

He stopped and looked down at the little girl who had straightened her back with pride as her audience chucked and he frowned, "a fine thing that all people need, everybody needs a Thneed." a tomato was lodged at his head and he narrowly avoided it, his eyes darting over to a nun that was snapping her fingers in disappointment. He stopped playing and stared at them, shaking his head before he started packing up again; he wasn't in the mood to be ridiculed and harassed by strangers that cared less about him than they did their toilet seat and he sure as heck didn't plan on entertaining them.

"Hey, where ya goin'?" Someone shouted as he reloaded the saddlebags and took Melvin's lead once more, turning about to leave before an ice cream shop caught his eye. He'd never had their ice cream before but as he feet slowly began moving him towards it he didn't resist the impulse to step inside and purchase a chocolate cone. He took it outside and sat on the curb when he realized his hecklers had decided to follow him, "You stopped for _ice cream_?" one of the men asked and Once-ler shrugged in response. "What about your Thneed, don't you want to sell them to us?"

"No." The answer slipped out faster than he could stop it before he realized it was even true, and as he licked his ice cream he looked onto the street and wondered why he felt confused when he seen only one shadow at his feet.

"Well why not?" he looked up to see an old woman peering at him curiously, her hair was curled tightly to her head in the typical old woman way and she stood bent in the typical old woman fashion.

He frowned at the crowd, "What do you people want? I'm not playing the fool for you today so buzz off!" the words were unusually rude for him, but they left him feeling a bit better so he didn't let it bother him to much. It was already bad enough feeling like he did, he didn't need the towns jerks trailing after him in hope to continue their new game; he wasn't their punching bag.

The little girl from before looked at him oddly, "Well, then, what does a Thneed do?"

He stared at her and licked at his ice cream, he could hear Melvin braying a little ways away and grinned when he seen that the donkey looked like it was snickering. Turning back to the girl Once-ler pointed at him, "Go ask him, I'm on break." he heard bell like laughter to his right and turned his head again to see empty space beside him.

Some of the crowd wandered away until only five or six people stood before him watching as he continued to leisurely lick his ice cream and he pulled his hat down further over his eyes to block the view of them. "Well what if we wanted to buy?"

"Twenty five dollars." Once-ler priced simply before changing his mind, "Actually, make that thirty, I'm not forgetting yesterday or today any time soon." he'd expected them to leave after that, so when the money was suddenly shoved under his nose he was, to say the least, surprised. He tilted his head up to see the old granny again and took her money, standing himself up and walking over to Melvin he pulled out a Thneed. "Any particular color you're wanting? I've got purple, pink, yellow, and blue."

She selected a blue and he handed it over, closing the saddlebag and going back to sit in his spot before another thirty was shoved in his face, this time by a young man with a reddening face; "Can I have the pink one, for my girlfriend..." as Once-ler stared at him the man coughed, "She likes soft things."

He stood up once more and riffled through until he found a pink one, handing it over and sticking the other thirty into his billfold, "Does anyone else want one while I'm trying to enjoy the remainder of my ice cream?" he asked cautiously as four other people came up and picked the colors they wanted, walking away with large smiles as they rubbed the Thneed against their cheeks and sniffed the creamy hot honey butter sweetness that Once-ler had privately termed 'butterfly milk'

"Do you have any more pink?" The little heckler girl asked shyly and he blinked at her, shaking his head no in answer, "Can you make any more?"

He looked up to see the group had regathered and nodded slowly, "Yeah, I can make more." they all ran for him and he dropped his ice cream in surprise as people listed what color they wanted and, for some reason, why they were buying it. He had to hold up both hands and yell to get their attention before he cleared his throat, "I'm never going to remember that many orders for what, write it down and give it to me and I'll be back in a week with what I've got done."

By the time he left town he had thirty orders in his saddlebags replacing the Thneeds that he'd sold, not quite believing how it had turned out, and when he came up to his camp site he seen the Lorax sitting on a rock waiting for him, "So how'd it go, Beanpole?" he asked tiredly and Once-ler shrugged in answer as he removed Melvin's saddlebags.

"I sold them all, then I sold several more." Once-ler stated plainly, frowning as he brought over a feeding bag for the mule and slipping it over it's head, "I thought I would be happier than this, but I can't shake the feeling that something's not... Right." he shook his head and looked over his shoulder at the small orange guardian, "Ever feel like that?"

The Lorax stared at him before shaking his head, "Not in this life time." he answered and Once-ler shrugged, giving the mule a quick brushing before lugging the saddlebags inside the tent with him and setting it beside the door. The Lorax had followed him in and sat at the table like it expected something, "You gonna make any pancakes?"

Once-ler frowned first at the Lorax and then at his stove before walking over and gathering the ingredients and mixing up a large bowl. When he turned back around his table, and the rest of his tent, had been invaded by numerous forest dwellers and he grinned a bit, "Who's hungry?" he asked, holding out the first plate of pancakes stacked high. It didn't last long and he soon found himself back before the stove expertly flipping more, turning around to smile cockily to his side before he realized there wasn't anyone there.

A pancake hit the ground and splattered across the floor and he frowned at it in confusion, "You okay, kid?" he heard The Lorax ask and nodded is head slowly, stepping aside a bit as a large Bar-ba-loot came over to clean the mess away in place of a mop. He made six more batches of pancakes before the animals were full and quickly cleaned the mess before stuffing his hands in his pockets and turning about to look at the over stuffed lot of them. The feeling of deja vu chased after him again and he shook his head.

"Well I've got to head to bed, guys, big day tomorrow and all that." he excused himself, gathering his pajamas and carrying them into the rest room before realizing he normally just changed wherever he pleased. He shook it off, though; he had company and, animals or not, his mother had always installed him with the knowledge that changing before your guests was something of a rude habit that no one should ever have.

* * *

Juniper groaned painfully, her eyes opening slowly as her brain tried to catch her up on the details of just how she'd managed to wake up face first in grass spotted dirt before her eyes spotted the remainder of the pizza she'd dropped. She rolled over and sat up, gingerly feeling about her head until she felt a lump just above her left eyebrow and sighed, "Great." she muttered, standing up fully and bending down to scoop the remaining pizza into the box. It would figure that she'd even bungle a single three foot hop to the ground, wouldn't it?

She looked around a moment before spotting the red and white stripped uniform hat near her and picked it up, stuffing it on her head before noticing an odd dandelion puff. It looked somewhat feathery, though, and was a bight pink; and when she reached out to touch it the smooth feather like puff slid under her fingers softer than any silk she'd ever known. She wanted to pluck it and keep it in her pocket, but she resisted the urge and stepped away from it, feeling as though if she picked it she'd never see it again.

She shook her head and walked away from it, placing the destroyed pizza on the back of her bike and attaching it tightly to make sure she didn't lose any pieces from the now flattened and somewhat beat up looking box. The ride back to the car seemed to be easier than she'd originally thought but the further she got from it the more her stomach seemed to hurt and she wondered if she hadn't gotten some kind of sickness from laying about in the dirt of an abandoned house.

She placed the mangled pizza beside her and started her car, pulling back the way she came and down the wider path before hitting the paved streets and heavy traffic. She looked at her watch and rolled her eyes, it would figure she wouldn't get back on the road until rush hour, she was already looking forward to getting chewed out for the mangled pizza; now she was clearly not just late but way past due to return. She reached over into her glove box and pulled out her slim purple phone and didn't bother to cover the aggravated yell at seeing she was two hours past due. She added on another two hours for traffic and smacked the steering wheel in frustration, by the time she got back her boss would not only be frothing at the mouth over the crank order, but at near screaming point when he discovered that she'd also ruined the pie.

It took her two and a half hours before she reached the pizza shop and the first sight of her angry boss standing at the wide window did nothing to ease the pain in her stomach. She sighed and pulled the pizza into her lap and put the red money case on top, stepping out of the car with it held high so that she wouldn't have to _verbally_ give him the bad news before walking up to the door. "Sorry, Boss Man." she apologized before he could tear into her, "Looks like some joker pranked you, nothing there but a beaten and abandoned old house that nearly killed me." she gestured to the lump on her head.

"What happened to the pizza?" he snapped, snatching the box from her hands and opening it to stare in horrified disbelief at the dirt covered toppings, smeared cheese, and splattered sauce, "What have you done to my pizza?"

She snorted a laugh and had to back away from the man quickly before he could get his hands on her, "Chill out, Jimmy, I fell off a death trap that was once the porch and hit my head, you can't injure the already injured!" he made another grab for her but she danced out of his hands again, holding both hers up in a calming gesture, "You should be happy I'm not dead, you _know_ what happens to women at this time of night in the middle of the woods _alone_?"

"You should have come back dead then to give this travesty to me!" Jimmy snapped, taking the box into the back and leaving Juniper to trail after him with her hands deep in her pockets, "This is _money_, Fallie, _my_ money!"

"Yeah, and it was a crank delivery with my gas money." She snapped back, taking her hat off and pointing to the large bump on her head, "Look at this, be happy I don't drive my butt over to the hospital and get it checked out with _your_ money."

Jimmy rolled his eyes as he tossed the mutilated pizza into the garbage bin, "Your shift is over, give Lacie your tips and get out of here." he left the kitchen and went into his office, closing the door firmly behind him to show his displeasure and Juniper flipped him the bird behind his back, "I've got security cameras, you moron!" he shouted through the door. She flipped him another bird and had them 'fly' away to the front area.

"You're going to get fired if you keep that up." Lacie stated with amusement and Juniper turned to grin at the other girl and her heart squeezed painfully in her chest when her eyes clashed into the cashiers grayish greens, "You okay, Juniper? You're not looking to hot."

She shook her head and wheezed out a breath, "No, I'm fine." she shook her head and laughed, "Just clocked my head a bit earlier is all." she gestured to the bump on her head and Lacie clicked her tongue against her teeth, shaking her head as Juniper handed her the red money pouch, "Is it huge?"

"Not compared to a rhino's horn." Lacie comforted and Juniper rolled her eyes, jamming her hat over her head once more, "I'm joking, Juniper... Well, not really but it'll probably go down by morning so I wouldn't worry to much about it."

Juniper shrugged, "Well that's it for me then, I'm going to head home and put ice on this beauty." she stepped away from the counter when Lacie called for her and was nearly blinded by a flash that was closely followed by a giggle, "What the hell, Lace?"

"I wanted a picture of the last unicorn before it disappeared." Lacie explained and Juniper rolled her eyes and left through the double glass doors without saying a word to the comedic genius cashiering at the local pizzeria.

She decided to conserve her gas and just walk the four blocks to her small dingy apartment and climbed the stairs to the forth floor rather than take the iffy elevator that, nine times out of ten, had an out of order sign tapped to it's partially open doors. As she came up to her door she had to step over two passed out bodies and muttered an oath to see yet another linebacker sized man passed out against _her_ apartment door.

Trying to wake him proved futile so she resorted shoving him over with her foot, which almost hadn't worked if he hadn't woken slightly and 'helped' her by rolling over. She quickly unlocked the door and slipped inside, latching several locks into place before shoving her heaviest chair into place in front of it as well. If her neighbors were partying she wasn't going to take any chances of misguided guests mistaking her apartment for a flop house, one time waking up to a stranger on her couch was more than enough for her.

Sighing she turned around and looked about the small dingy living room with multi-recycled furniture full of mystery stains and cigarette burns. For the oddest of reasons, she felt completely uncomfortable in the room whereas that morning she'd woken up and hadn't minded at all flopping onto the couch with a bowl of cereal and chowing down. She frowned and bit her lip as she walked around from room before she realized she was looking for something before taking off her hat and throwing it onto the wobbly coffee table.

Something wasn't right, she didn't live like this. She lived in a nice warm place with no drunken neighbors and plenty of laughter to fill the rooms and the teasing smile of...

Her bump was throbbing and her head hurt.

With a sigh she shook off the strange feelings and headed straight to her bathroom to take a quick shower before dressing in a simple over-sized shirt and slipping between clean sheets. She didn't know how long it took her to fall asleep in the overly quiet room, but she'd never before could remember ever feeling as alone as she did at that moment and she was sure that there was supposed to be another bed on the other side of the room with a half-asleep someone fiddling around with their guitar.

* * *

Once-ler awoke from sleep suddenly, his eyes wide and his breathing heavy as his eyes scanned the room desperately looking for something before realizing he had been dreaming. There wasn't anyone else other than him, Mustache, and the sleeping animals that must have just slept wherever they dropped. He looked over at the empty couch and frowned, gathering up his pillow and slipping off the mattress to pad over and re-situating himself against the cushions.

"What are you doing, Beanpole?" He heard the sleepy Lorax ask, but since he didn't know himself remained quiet and looked at the cloth ceiling overhead, "I can sleep on the couch if that's-"

"No, I'm sleeping here." Once-ler quickly snapped before blinking and shaking his head, "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way." turning over so that he faced the bed he propped his head on the arm of the couch and sighed, "I just want to sleep here is all, feel free to invite everyone up there if you want."

The Lorax watched him and he shifted uncomfortably on a couch that was several inches to short before grunting, "You're making me feel bad for you, kid, knock it off I can't help ya." he suddenly grouched, glaring at Once-ler like he was purposely making his life more difficult then needed.

Once-ler returned the glare, "I didn't ask for your help, Mustache." he growled back, "In fact, I didn't say anything to you at all so I don't need you jumping down my throat!" huffing he closed his eyes and tried to force himself back to sleep uselessly. For some reason the couch smelled off and it was driving him insane wanting to know why; it didn't smell bad but it didn't smell as he'd expected it would which only made it worse.

"Would you knock that off? What are you sniffing at over there so intently?" The Lorax snapped again, throwing something soft, brown, and wailing at him before he realized it was Pipsqueak. Luckily Once-ler had caught the small bear easily and hugged him to his chest, "Don't you have work you need to do in the morning? Go to sleep."

"I'm trying but there's a crazy orange gopher in my bed throwing animals at me!" Once-ler growled back, his foul mood growing worse by the second, "It doesn't help that every time I look around there's something missing! Every time, Mustache, do you know how insane that is?" Sighing he put Pipsqueak down and stormed out of the tent, if he wasn't going to get any sleeping done then he might as well get a bit of harvesting in; at least it'd get him away from the evil tempered tree guardian that had taken over his tent.

He had a bag stuffed inside his pajama bottoms and the ladder out and propped up against a tree when said evil guardian came out to bug him some more, "Do you know what time it is?"

"No."

The Lorax huffed as Once-ler made his way up the ladder, "You're going to break your neck, kid, get out of that tree!"

Once-ler looked down and froze. For an instant, a hairs width of a moment, he'd seen someone below working strenuously with a single pair of knitting needles, "What was that?" he breathed, blinking at the now empty spot.

"I said you're going to kill yourself, get off the ladder!" The Lorax shouted up, but his voice sounded distant as the image flashed before Once-ler's eyes again, this time of an adorably angry blonde pouting up at him, 'I'm not sulking'. Her voice was smooth as water, but so soft he had to strain to hear it, "What are you doing, kid? Trying to kill yourself?"

The girl disappeared again and he found himself leaning dangerously over the ladder, he quickly regained his balance and shook his head, frowning, "Did you see that?"

"See what?" The Lorax demanded weakly and Once-ler shook his head, pointing at the ground benith the tree, "What? The rock? Yes, good job. You found a rock in the forest." however the would be scathing remark was weak.

Once-ler shook his head and sighed, wondering if maybe he was still dreaming, "Nothing, just my imagination playing tricks on me." he muttered to himself, pulling the sack out he began removing the Truffula leaves with gentle fingers, trying to chase the pretty image of the pouting girl from his mind. There was no pouting girl. There was nothing missing. Everything was as normal as it had been since he'd first arrived in the forest.

The Lorax continued to harp at him from the ground, but he continued filling his sack until it was full, then dropped it to the ground before he could stop himself. He stared in shock as the sack landed on it's side, Truffula leaves spilling out from the opening; why had he done that? He quickly stepped down the ladder and recollected the leaves, stuffing them in the bag before to many of them blew away with the wind. When he finished he looked up into the sad eyes of the Lorax, "I don't know why I did that."

The Lorax only shook his head and patted Once-ler's shoulder comfortingly, "It's okay, Beanpole, you're just adjusting." he sighed, "Go back to bed, you need sleep if you're going to make your Thneeds tomorrow. Everything will be better by tomorrow."

However Once-ler just sat there, looking at the bag in his hands curiously before dumping the entire thing out, watching as the wind took hold of them before they even hit the ground, sending them dancing across the night sky before weakly standing and turning away. "No, Mustache, I don't think it will."

* * *

The Lorax watched as his friend stared at the dancing Truffula leaves as they twisted and twirled away to disappear against the tree tops before he slouched back towards the tent, leaving the ladder against the tree and letting the cloth bag slip from between his fingers. It angered him seeing the poor human suffering so greatly, and it sickened him that he knew the reason and kept it from him; but how was he to do anything about the whole torrid mess? Hadn't he tried to keep the girl there? Hadn't he put every last spare bit of his power into keeping the tare between their dimensions closed?

He was just a tree guardian, how was he supposed to go against deities that had been around millions of years before _they_ created _him_? Why couldn't they have just wiped his mind clean as well? Freed him of the guilt of knowing why his friend was suffering? Of remembering times that now never were and never would be? Was he just supposed to sit by and watch the man suffer with a gaping hole in his heart and never even know why it was there in the first place?

Just why couldn't they be together? Why couldn't he have both of his friends living in his forest happily together singing their idiotic songs and making their stupid Thneeds like the pair of hippies they were meant to be? The grass under his feet felt like tiny needles poking into his skin, as though even the forest thought to punish him for the separation. "It's not my fault." he whispered to the trees, however the grass still poked at him uncomfortably and he knew the trees hadn't listened, "Tell me what I should do, then."

Of course, the trees had no tongues and so could not answer him; but he felt their sad disappointment and their bitter regret and he urged them to feel his as well. He reached out and placed his palm against the smooth trunk near him and shook his head, "If there's something that I could do," he pleaded, "anything at all, find a way to tell me."

The wind blew again and a small silver thread of light flashed briefly and he felt a small glimmer of hope stirring, "The tare's still there." he whispered softly in disbelief. Why would they leave the tare, had they overlooked it somehow? Had this miscalculated and forgotten to repair it when they'd turned everyone's lives around? "How do I do it?" he whispered, pressing his palm firmly against the tree as though the pressure could make it answer.

But of course, again, trees didn't have tongues to speak with and the only thing the mighty and powerful Lorax could do was look back to where he'd seen the light, "I'll find a way."

* * *

The next morning Juniper awoke she'd done so with a mixed feeling of regret and longing that she couldn't explain from a pair of sad grayish green eyes on a face she couldn't quite picture or place but knew would sparkle just before freely laughing as loudly as he pleased. She knew those eyes more than she knew her own and she had the faintest feeling that the owner of those eyes could very well say the same of her.

Sighing she shook her head and pushed herself out of bed until she stood unsteadily by the mattress and looked about her room. It was the same as ever, with her favorite rock stars posters tapped messily onto the walls with various tokens she'd collected from concerts and promotional sales. The same banged up dresser with pictures of her friends in cheap dime store frames sitting atop in no particular order. The same mud brown carpet, the same red bedside lamp, the same everything.

Why did the sight of it make her want to break everything?

She hurriedly dressed herself and left her apartment as quickly as she could, disgusted to find the same drunken fools passed out in the hall. She highly doubted that was what 'party like a rock star' meant, but she didn't waste time to wake them and inform them of that, instead she stepped over them and left the building as quickly as her feet could carry her. It wasn't until she was outside in the thick fumes and heavy air that she realized she didn't just want out of her apartment, she wanted out of the city. Away from the foul smelling air and the foul mouthed people that littered the streets just a little more than the trash that blanketed the curbs.

She made her way to the pizzeria and slipped into her car, ignoring Jimmy's motion for her to come in and starting her car to zoom down the street and back to the woods. The house had been in terrible shape, but if she remembered right the surrounding trees had looked healthy and vibrant, the greenest she'd ever seen trees to be, as a matter of fact. She glanced out her window briefly as she passed a park and frowned at the grayish leaves of the trees belonging there. They looked healthy enough, but no where near as colorful; as a matter of fact, everything seemed to be faded from what she knew they could be.

The trip to the woods only took her an hour without manic drivers flooding the highways and blaring their horns to show their displeasure at having to wait, and when she finally pulled by the small opening in the trees and took her bike off the back of her car she didn't wait a minute to start peddling through. She remembered each bump and each dip, carefully avoiding the larger ones that had nearly sent her from her seat her first time through, and entered the small cleared area. The trees now looked not only green, but yellow, red, and orange as well; their leaves waving as the wind blew gently through their brances.

She got off her bike and let it fall, walking back to the porch where she'd seen the pink dandelion puff and was shocked to see that it now had a purple twin just a short distance away. It felt just as nice wit the same heavenly scent as the pink one and she wondered if more would come and if they would be either pink or purple... Maybe they would also come in reds and yellows? Maybe blues and some orange?

"Truffula trees." She breathed before wrinkling her brow, those weren't trees, trees didn't have leaves like the silky strands on the little flowering buds; but she didn't know what else to call them and so decided the name would work. It sounded just as pretty as the weird little plants, after all; and besides, the name just sounded right when she looked at them. "I bet you little guys wouldn't mind some water, would you?" she asked them, petting their soft tops as though they were kittens before standing up and looking around, "Well there's got to be some somewhere around here, otherwise none of the big boys over there would be as tall as they are now."

She blinked as she realized she was talking to them, but shrugged the bit of weirdness away; who cared if she talked to the little puffs when she was by herself? Who would know? She walked away from them and scanned the area for water and heard it before she seen it; around the back of the house was a small stream of glistening water so clear she could see the pebbles and rocks below and pulled a hair scrunchi from her pocket.

She dipped it onto the water, lifting it and squeezing out the water to see how much it would hold before deciding that it would work well enough and soaked it again before bringing it around the house and watering the two little buds of fluff. At first nothing happened, not that she'd expected anything, but then they slowly grew a just a bit, just enough to be noticeable, and she wondered what they would do if she gave them more.

Little by little, she fed the little plants water; and little by little the tiny little plants grew into tiny little saplings and then into small trees. They stopped growing after that and she was a bit disappointed, not knowing if they were just finished growing or just required more water in which to grow with. She glanced down at her watch to see if she had enough time to buy a bucket and come back before work before realizing she was already late.

She really didn't want to leave the trees though, they made her feel comfortable and warm the taller they grew and the more she touched their feathery leaves the more she was convinced that she'd felt it somewhere before. It was almost like a vague sense that if she let the trees grow tall enough then everything in her life would be as close to perfect as perfect ever was.

She stood up and backed away, "I'll be back with a bucket, guys, don't you grow without me."

* * *

Once-ler was sitting at his table staring at the wooden surface as though it held the answer to why he felt so utterly miserable as his fingers played with knitting needles that had somehow become very important to him for reasons he couldn't guess at. Sure, he enjoyed knitting. Yeah, it was starting to become his livelihood, but they were still only a simple pair of knitting needles that could be easily replaced with another pair.

Recently, the Lorax had been sitting near his tree stump every day for the past several days looking as though he were intently focused on something and refused to even eat a pancake when offered one. He didn't know why, but for some reason it was important it was important to Once-ler to allow the little guy to concentrate on whatever it was he was thinking of and had left him alone so he could do it in peace.

He sighed and started knitting again, focusing on the knots and allowing his mind to clear as he concentrated on his own work as intently as the Lorax outside. Each little loop and pull was precise and even, neatly fitting into the previous and going into the next with every twist and turn of the needles in his hand when he suddenly pictured them swinging wildly near his head.

He blinked and shook the image away as he often found himself doing, wondering a little if he were losing his mind or not as he continued to work on the blue Thneed. He found himself preferring the blues, the darker the better, and had slowly amassed a good deal of them that was quickly becoming popular. He heard another knock on the door and lazily waved Pipsqueak to the door to accept the new order, not wanting to deal with the happy smiling customers any more than he had to. They disgusted him in their product induced joy and the temptation to throw their much desired Thneed in their faces and slam his door on their rears might just be to great to resist actually doing.

It was also much funnier to watch the poor little bear have to climb onto a chair in order to reach the knob and use both it's paws to clumsily open it. There was a young woman standing behind the door with a goofy smile on her stupid looking face as she placed an order for a red Thneed and Once-ler reached over to the increasingly large pile, pulling out a red one and tossing it over, "Thirty-five bucks."

"But it was only thirty yesterday!" The woman gasped, before waving it off and grinning, "No matter, what's an extra five dollars in exchange for a bit of happiness?" she giggled and Once-ler had to prevent himself from throwing whatever blunt object he could reach to shut her hole up with as she gave the small bear the money and pranced away in a good imitation of Melvin. Pipsqueak turned to give Once-ler a disapproving look and the man shrugged in an 'I don't care so don't start on me' fashion.

He knew he was getting meaner, but he wasn't meaning to be. It was just that he couldn't shake off the steady feeling of depression and loneliness that hounded his heals even in his sleep with visions that teased him with kind blue eyes and his own name whispered from soft pink lips. Their happiness left him feeling bitter and hateful that he alone had to suffer when there were so many others that could take at least some of his burden away.

He sighed and pushed the unfinished Thneed away from him and covered his face with his hands, why did he just suddenly feel so terrible? What had happened? Who was the girl that called his name with a gentle smile and reached out for him with smooth steady hands that he could never quite reach and why did he always wake up before he could tell her how much he wanted her?

* * *

Authors Note: Lalala, I can't hear you... No, really, I can't. If you want to say anything you're going to have to leave a message or a review because you're looking kind of stupid sitting there talking to your screen.

Anyhow this chapter practically wrote it self, it was so easy that I feel kind of bad taking credit for it at all, actually, so many thanks to whatever wonderful muse out there that decided to help me with everything but the title... Which took actual hours to decide upon before settling on "Whatever it Takes", I like it because I can be WiT-ty with it, get it? Haha! Puns never get old and neither does word play.


	6. Chapter 6

Falling Deep: Whatever it Takes

Authors Note: If this site had a neck I'd be strangling it... Stop taking out my page breaaaks!

* * *

Juniper frowned as she stepped back into her apartment later that evening to see her message machine's little red light flashing incessantly in it's demand to be heard. She already knew who it was and what it was over, though, so after confirming that Jimmy was indeed as angry as she thought he would be she deleted it and walked into her kitchen. She quickly made herself a grilled cheese and managed to eat half before shoving the other half into the trash can deciding that her chest hurt to much to finish the rest.

She felt taunted by a gentle nagging in the back of her head, as though someone were whispering a question she couldn't quite hear and insisted that she answer. Well she didn't have an answer, did she? If she did then maybe she could get over the gut wrenching loneliness that had mysteriously blanketed over her previous determination that had eventually turned her into a pile of useless mush. She knew that she had never liked the city overmuch, however she hadn't hated it either and now she just couldn't stand the thought of even standing in her own living room.

Even now, as she sat on her couch watching whatever random show happened to be on the TV when she turned it on, she felt like an intruder. It seemed that the warmth she'd gotten from the trees faded the further she got from and she wondered what the living state of the house was, probably far worse than it looked from the outside. She looked over at the dying potted plant she had hanging in front one of the two side by side windows and stood up, carefully reaching into the dirt by the side of the pot and gingerly feeling about until she felt the plastic bagging she was searching for.

She carefully withdrew it and made a mental note to water the plant later as she took the baggie back to the couch and dumped the contents onto the table before her. If she was right she should have about five hundred and sixty dollars that she had been saving to produce her own music video, thinking that it would give her an edge over other aspiring musicians, however she couldn't grasp the desire to stand before thousands anymore. For some unknown reason just the thought of living that lifestyle made her stomach cramp and her head hurt; then gain, so did everything else.

She dismissed the thoughts and counted the bills that now littered the table top, gathering them up and fingering through the large handful of tens and twenties to discover she had closer to six hundred. It wasn't much, but since she didn't really have to buy the house to live in it she didn't really need that much. It was growing late, however she knew for a fact that the majority of the businesses didn't close; even Jimmy's Pizzeria was open twenty-four hours and he was a two-bit act.

She stuffed the money into her sock and pushed it until it hit the bottom of her shoe before standing up and leaving her apartment again to head to the first available home repair depo she came across that was still open. It didn't take her long to spot one and she quickly pulled into the parking lot, nearly running for the automatic doors that slid open as she neared. "Welcome to BH Supply! Is there anything we can help you with today, Miss?" a cheery looking man came up, his curling black hear lazily pushed back in a manner that was some how dear to her.

She cleared her throat and nodded, "I've recently come across some property that needs some major repairs but I have no idea what I'm doing." she stated, looking around the store at the many large powerful tools placed on display, "It doesn't have to be perfect, but I don't want the roof falling on my head and I don't want the floor boards breaking under me, either."

The man nodded and folded his arms over his chest in consideration, "Well I'd recommend a new roof right off the bat if you're worried about it falling over your head and that can run at about eight hundred, and a new floor will probably run you at about three hundred-"

"I've got six hundred." Juniper interrupted him quickly, her eyes wide with disbelief at the exorbitant prices he was listing off as though she were a millionaire, "I don't care if the place is livable, I just don't want to die in it." he laughed and she rolled her eyes, "I mean it."

He nodded, holding up an apologetic hand, "No that's fine, usually only the richies come in here figuring to turn a quick dollar by buying crap houses and fixing them up for resell. I know exactly what you need and it shouldn't cost you to much, just some boards and nails." she relaxed a little and nodded, "Of course, you'll probably need some support beams, but I'd recommend getting those from the excess piles some of the contractors leave outside of finished houses, just make sure you grab one long enough that you can cut it down to fit the size you're needing."

He walked over to a counter and pulled out some paper and she hurried to the other side, "Most of the things you'll be needing you can get for free by..." he paused and looked around before giving her a wink, "unintentional donation, just make sure you're not taking from those who can't afford to replace." he was writing down different addresses from around the city before pausing and looking up, "Do you have a truck or a trailer? Something to haul this stuff around in?"

"I've got a car, can't I just tie the stuff on the roof or something?" she asked and he gave an iffy expression, tilting his hand a bit, "So I need a truck?"

He nodded, "But you can rent those, just make sure to get the insurance or they'll try to screw you. Trust me, the extra fifty's worth it." he sounded like he spoke from experience so she nodded her head and he went back to writing, adding on a truck rental business at the bottom, "They should be able to hook you up with a tuck for fifty a day plus the flat fifty deposit; I'm going to say again to get the insurance, that'll keep them from claiming any damages." she nodded her head again and he handed her the paper, "Get what you can then come back here for whatever it is you can't find and I'll see what I can do for you."

She left the store looking down at the long list in her hands with a grin, who knew actually asking for help in stores could actually save you money? She'd have never guessed.

* * *

Once-ler didn't know how it happened, but his Thneed was quickly becoming popular from young to old and he started to have a steady traffic of people come to his house to bothering him for it. Most of the time they were content enough to give their money to whatever animal happened to answer the door and have their Thneed tossed to them in a large plastic baggie, but there were some, like the one whining at him now, that thought they deserved better treatment. "Haven't you ever heard the customer is always right? How can you not do gift wrapping, I'm a return customer!"

He sighed and looked over his feet at the bitching woman waving her packaged purple Thneed around angrily and rolled his eyes, "Lady, you're going to be lucky if I forget your face long enough for you to get a third if you keep it up." her mouth dropped open and he grinned at the stunned expression on her face, "This isn't a business, it's a deal. You give me money, I give you a Thneed. You want gift wrapping so bad? Ask Pipsqueak over there, though I won't vouch on the quality of his work." Pipsqueak mawed at him and he waved at the little guy, "Not your fault, of course, you don't have any thumbs after all." Pipsqueak looked at his paws and mawed again, going back to the marshmallow bag in it's lap.

"How can you treat me like this? How dare you insult me for asking for a gift wrap?" The woman shrilled and Once-ler flinched from the abuse on his ear drums, "I gave you good money for it-"

"Then take the money back and leave the Thneed, lady, I've got more problems on my mind then if some random hag is happy with me or not." He snapped, jabbing a finger over to Pipsqueak, "You think for a _second_ he's going to save me one of those? Ha!"

She clutched the bag to her chest and tutted, "This is no way to run a business, young man-"

"I _already_ said this isn't a business, if it was I wouldn't have to deal with you myself, _would_ I?" she opened her mouth to shout something else at him but Biggie, a nick name he'd given the largest bar-ba-loot who usually answered the door for him, yawned tiredly and shut the door in her face, sending Once-ler into a fit of laughter.

The door opened again and Once-ler was preparing himself for round two when he seen the Lorax's head poke around the wooden frame, "Well at least they like your product, Beanpole." he offered, walking the rest of the way into the tent and shutting the door behind him. Once-ler shrugged his shoulders to show how little he cared and the Lorax chuckled, "You've recently gotten the personality of a cantankerous old man, anyone tell ya that yet?"

"Coming from you I'll take that as a compliment." Once-ler joked as he turned his eyes back on the orange Thneed in his lap, "Taking a brake from doing nothing all day, or you just miss me so much that you had to come for a visit?" he teased, a little surprised to see the little guy away from his stump.

The Lorax scratched his chin and came to sit on the other side of the table, "Taking a break, actually, thought I'd come see how you're doing. Apparently awful or you wouldn't have been so rude to that woman."

"I fail to see why I should gift wrap the thing for her son, I already made it, didn't I?" Once-ler defended himself without heat, "She's the one who came here to bug me while I was working and didn't even bother to thank Biggie for his service, did she big guy?" he asked the now sleeping bar-ba-loot. He shrugged, "Ask him when he wakes up, he'll tell you."

"Just because you're miserable doesn't give you the right to treat others badly, Beanpole, it's one of the first lessons you learn as a kid." The Lorax lectured lazily, and Once-ler shrugged again and the Lorax let it drop, "What are the chances of getting some pancakes out of you?"

"Pretty good if you come by later, I'm not feeling it right now." he rejected, "There's some left overs on the counter if you're hungry, though, and Pipsqueak might still have some marshmallows left." he looked over to see Pipsqueak rolling around on the soft white fluffy cylinders, "But I'd recommend the left overs."

"Great selection, but I think I'll hold off until later." the Lorax rejected, reaching over to take one of the Truffula fruits from the bowl in the center of the table, "So how ya doing, kid? I see you've been selling your Thneeds." the comment came from around a bite of the fruit so Once-ler refocused his attention on his current work rather than the food inside his friends mouth, "Not one tree down, either, good job."

Once-ler nodded and opened his mouth to answer when a great tremble vibrated the ground below his feet and he looked up, frowning slightly, "Are they stampeeding again?" He mumbled, throwing the Thneed onto the table and walking over the door to peek out with a frown; however there was nobody coming up over the slight hill. Instead he watched as his uncle's Winnebago come sliding to chaotic stop before his house before his family practically fell out the side.

They looked around the forest with sneers and unpleasant eyes and Once-ler immediately felt his hackles rise before stamping them down. No doubt they heard about his 'success' from that brief interview the local news station tried to give him about a week ago, "It's my family." he reported to the Lorax. He watched the yellow mustache flatted in a frown and shrugged, "Hey, I didn't invite them, don't chew me out."

"I wasn't going to chew you out." The Lorax denied, but he obviously wanted to and Once-ler didn't blame him, the looks on his family's faces was enough to inspire a disgruntled attitude for him and he wasn't the one that claimed guardianship over the forest. He shut the door and locked it, backing away with a finger raised to his lips and the Lorax looked at him like the weak coward he was, "You're going to hide from them?"

"Shh!" Once-ler responded, slashing a hand through the air. He wasn't hiding from them, really, he just didn't want to deal with the false smiles that they would paste over their faces. He put his weight against the door and pressed his ear against the flat wooden surface, listening as they complained about the cramped interior of the Winnebago and long ride. "Try making it on a riding cart attached to a donkey." Once-ler muttered, motioning for the Lorax to toss him the unfinished Thneed at the table so he could resume his knitting.

"It's so _filthy_!" He heard his mother gasp and rolled his eyes, what exactly had she expected from a forest? She should have called first if she expected him to dust the rocks by the river, "And what's that _smell_?" Once-ler frowned and looked at the Lorax before sniffing himself and raising a brow. The Lorax shrugged and made a show of sniffing himself as well before shaking his head, couldn't be them, they'd just bathed in the lake the day before. Shrugging again Once-ler restarted his knitting and ignored the knock on his door, "_Oncie_! _Mama's come to help you_!"

He screwed up his nose, since when did she want anyone to know her as 'Mama'? He heard his uncle and brother's muffled voices say something to her and she replied in a harsh whisper; Once-ler counted the knots he'd finished and started a new row. "Well he probably just took the car to town, then- well of course he'd buy one he's rich now!"

How was he rich? Even if he was why did that mean he'd go out and buy a car? He listened to them for a bit longer before they walked away and made a new type of racket, alerting him that they were setting up 'camp' right beside him and felt like hitting his head against the door. Standing up he put the Thneed back down onto the table and grabbed up his day clothes, if he _had_ to deal with them then he wasn't going to do it in his duckie pajamas.

He was a man, damn it.

* * *

Juniper's leg jiggled nervously as she sat inside her new rental truck that was a hundred times nicer than her POS jigsaw puzzle. She was currently pulling up to her fifth stop that night on her list and her load was getting heavier and more obvious the more she added to it, but he'd underlined the address and she at least wanted to know why. When it came into view she could easily see, though, that they had an obscene amount of tiles, buckets of nails, hammers, saws; even a few _sinks_ and _toilets_ were on the lawn. She gaped at the sheer stupidity that was displayed before her as she quickly turned off her lights and pulled up front, who would do that? Was there cameras?

There _had_ to be cameras, no one would leave that much stuff outside without protecting it in some way, right?

She got out anyway and ran over to the sinks and toilets, not surprised to find she could only carry the sinks back, but that didn't matter; she could buy her own toilet if she had to with the money she was going to save on the morons inside. She quickly gathered an arm full of piping and loaded as many paint cans into the cabin with her before throwing in a hammer and saw. She managed to drag a bucket of nails over and lift it to the floor boards before a porch light came on and she scurried over to the drivers seat to zoom off into the night, otherwise undetected.

She smirked as she went down the highway, happy with the rather large hall before remembering that she was somehow going to have to drive the truck down the narrow path to the house. Then she grinned again and shrugged her shoulders, that was what the insurance was for, after all; she might not be able to afford new tires but the truck company could... Which turned out to be a good thing, because the truck bounced around so much she wondered a few times if the tires wouldn't just burst and she was sure the sticks scraping by would leave large scratches in the paint. It was probably the first and last time they would ever rent her a tuck.

She carefully maneuvered the truck around the low cut tree stumps and got out, looking at the two tall Truffula trees and the slowly growing third, "Well, guys, your Juniper did a bad thing; but only with the best of intentions, I swear." she confessed, wiping her hands on the back of her denims as she walked around the truck to begin unloading her haul near the house, stacking it neatly in piles before unloading the cab as well.

Once she was finished she stretched her arms over her head. She felt a bit bad for stealing, but the man from the home improvement store _had_ said that most of it was going to be thrown out, anyways. Looking at the watch on her wrist she sighed and worked some kinks out of her shoulders and climbed back into the truck cab, stretching across the seat and closing her eyes; she had a few hours before the sun was up and she planned on using those hours to get some well deserved rest before starting work on the repairs.

What she hadn't expected was to wake up and look out the passenger window to see a large crack in the ground where half her lumber was slowly falling into. Watching in wide eyed horror she despertly jerked at the door handle and ran over, holding her hands out in disbelief as the flat boards tumbled one after another into the crack until only a few remained. "What just happened?!" she didn't know who she was asking, but she firmly expected an explanation, and as she cautiously edged closer to the wide crack and peeked over she was shocked to discover a solid black darkness.

Greatly confused she quickly backed away and blinked at the hole incredulously, unsure of exactly how to go about explaining the sudden occurrence of the apparently deep hole in the ground just feet from where she'd parked the truck. It was only less than a foot across, "What the hell?" she wondered out loud, gaping. Was the ground about to give out under the entire clearing?

She bit her lip and creeped to the edge of the crack again, ready to scamper back if it showed signs of getting wider, picking up a paint can on the way and dropping it into the hole and listening closely for an impact to judge the depth with. However, after a moment of complete silence she shook her head utter amazement before realizing that the crack had swallowed up one of her tall Truffula's and was threatening to take the other.

* * *

Once-ler stepped out of is tent with his hands in his pocket and his hat pulled down low over his eyes and was immediately spotted by his mother, "_Darling_!" she squealed loudly, hurrying over to meet him halfway and he flinched from the pitch. Had she always shrieked like that or was he only just noticing it now, "Why didn't you answer the door? I _just_ knocked not five minutes ago!"

He shrugged his shoulders, but was saved from having to answer when suddenly the quiet forest erupted into a loud chaotic mess several long boards began raining from out of nowhere in the middle of the sky. Birds flew, fish screamed, and bears ran at the surprise attack on their home as they all tried to take cover and it didn't take but a minute for the Lorax to scramble out of the house to gape at the destruction.

Once it was over Once-ler and his family continued to stare in amazement as the Lorax ran past and darted between the trees before Once-ler realized what he was doing, "What are you doing? What if it happens again?" he shouted after him before chasing after the idiot fur ball, seeing him come to a halt before a mess of smooth broken boards.

Luckily, it seemed that all but two or three threes had avoided any serious damage; it seemed that even that was to much for the Lorax, however. "You idiot!" He shouted at the top of his lungs to where the boards had come from as he threw a tantrum, picking up clumps of dirt and heaving them at the sky as he raged. Once-ler opened his mouth to try and calm his friend when suddenly a can of paint fell through the sky and he just managed to dodge behind the tree before it exploded against a rock and splattered light blue paint everywhere.

"I'm going to _strangle_ her." He heard the infuriated Lorax seethed and Once-ler chanced a quick peek around his hiding place to see his friend covered in the thick paint.

"You look like the the bottom of a pain brush." Once-ler pointed out before slipping back behind a tree before a paint covered rock could hit him. He laughed as he heard the Lorax return to stamping the ground and throwing insults up at the sky, "How bad's the damage?"

"She knocked over two of my trees!" He heard a scuffling noise then a cry of surprise, "Oh, that might have been her tree, but that one's mine!" Once-ler looked to see the two trees he was talking about and rolled his eyes before he heard a few panicked calls behind him and sighed, "Tell those whack-jobs to cram it, I'm having a crises over here!"

On impulse, Once-ler did exactly that and flinched when his mother's angry voice shouted back at him, and the Lorax howled with laughter, which did nothing to sooth his mother's injured pride, "That's what happens when you turn into a jerk, Beanpole; it becomes very hard to control yourself." he chuckled, walking over to inspect the actual damage before sighing and shaking his head, "Well their roots are still intact, just upended, so I can fix it. How about you get rid of the jerks while I clean this place up and then you can make me pancakes as an apology for the mess the idiot made?"

Once-ler snorted and opened his mouth to ask why he should apologize for someone he'd obviously had no connection with when a familiar voice stopped him, "_Hello_?" The Lorax froze and looked up before his face burst into a proud grin, "_Is there someone down there?"_

The Lorax cupped both hands around his mouth and hollered up, "Jump, Juniper!"

It was a moment before the voice responded, _"Is that some way of my brain testing to see how crazy I've become? I'm not jumping down a_ crack_ that just ate the majority of my supplies!"_ it shouted back and the Lorax's smile fell into a dark frown; Once-ler didn't blame her for refusing, if she did jump he doubted she'd enjoy the landing.

The Lorax, having apparently lost the ability of coherent speech shouted back at her and another can of paint dropped from the sky to splatter the trees and raging Lorax again.

"Stop throwing paint on my trees you lunatic!" The sound of said trees being plowed through brought the duo's attention to trees being knocked into and had Once-ler and the Lorax scrambling away from the furious path of his uncle's Winnebago. Apparently telling his mother to 'cram it' had enraged the woman because as it passed by she leaned out one of the windows and flipped him off. He waved back, watching the vehicle disappear before he spotted the angry green eyes of the Lorax.

"That's _not_ my fault." Once-ler immediately defended himself with a shake of the head.

"_Hey, if you're real down there then you might want to move out of the way, my other Truffula's going to fall in and I don't have any rope to tie it up with!"_ The voice shouted again and the Lorax threw another tantrum.

The Lorax stared at the sky open mouthed as he watched one of his precious Truffula's fall through and break in half at his feet. "That's also not my fault." Once-ler denied, laughing at the cold-clocked look on his friends face before he flailed his arms over his head and let out a slew of cuss words that only made Once-ler laugh harder.

"_Well it's not my fault you put a giant crack under all my stuff, is it? Give me back my tree!"_

The Lorax, apparently having had all that he could take, suddenly grabbed his own butt before slowly floating up into the air and Once-ler gave up on anything else making any sense before he turned, stuffing his hands deep inside his pockets, to make his way back to his tent.

* * *

Juniper was glaring at the hole with another paint can in hand, ready to lob it down at the insulting voice, not giving a damn if it was her imagination or not at that moment. All the work she'd done last night, all the effort she put in so she could repair the crummy house behind her and get away from the city was gone and never to be seen again. It was probably some sort of divine pay back for stealing it in the first place, but she didn't care a whit if it was deserved or not she was furious.

It wasn't until a burst of light came through the ground that had her remembering that she was standing next to a deep hole that could eventually become her grave that she dropped the paint and ran back to hide behind her truck. She briefly wondered how light could just burst from the ground before it dawned on her that ever since she'd come to the small clearing she'd lost her mind; but it wasn't until an orange ball of fur rose out of the crack holding it's own butt that she accepted her insanity.

It cleared the crack and put it's feet on the ground, looking around agitatedly. The yellow mustache on the creatures face twitched and she ducked lower behind the truck, "I know you're here, Juniper!" it snapped and she wondered what kind of damage a little fur ball like that could do to her. "You even know how much work I put into bringing you back? It ain't easy trying to go against deities a hundred times more powerful than you, you'd better get your skinny butt over here and jump down this hole before I throw you down myself!"

She gave a silent snort and rolled her eyes, like hell she'd jump to her death or allow herself to be thrown to it. It was several times dumber than it looked if it thought otherwise, "Or don't you miss him?"

That grabbed her attention and she peeked under the truck to eye the creature as she slowly realized it was right. She wasn't missing a what, she was missing a who. A very important who, as a matter of fact. Someone with messy dark hair and misty glass green eyes. Her heart thudded loudly against her chest and blood rushed to her head, "Who's 'him'?" she chanced asking, slinking around the back of the truck.

The creature stood still at the question before giving a shake of his head, "You're not telling me you've forgotten everything? I've been watching him go through hell for the past few weeks; he keeps looking for you over his shoulder-"

"Who's 'he'?" Juniper demanded again hotly.

"Once-ler!"

Once-ler... Did she know anyone with such a weird name? It sounded vaguely familiar and she softly repeated it, confused at the sudden feeling of warmth that settled nicely in her belly. She bit her lip and stood up, letting the creature see her clearly before coming around the truck, "I know him." she stated firmly, her decision made. "He's... Someone important, isn't he?"

The frustrated look on his face softened to one of pity as he got a good look at her and she frowned, "What?" she asked, sniffing indigently and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Looks like you've lost weight, Doll-face." he answered, gesturing at her and she looked down at herself. It was true that she'd recently had to start using a belt to hold her jeans up, "Lost some color, too, haven't you?" that was probably also true. She hadn't been able to eat properly for the past few days, and what she did eat usually never settled right and would sometimes make a surprise appearance every so often.

She shrugged, "Well I hear that happens when you've gone crazy." she defended herself weakly and the creature before her rolled his eyes, "Well what would you call it? What do you call it when nothing's right even when it is?"

"Stupidity." He answered and she huffed, "There's some that would agree and call it crazy, but I've also heard plenty others call it love."

Love... That was entirely to farfetched to even consider. How could she love a man she didn't know past a shadowy pair of eyes and a smile; was he even her type? "You think I'm in love with this 'Once-ler' guy who I can't even remember?" she asked flatly, walking closer to the creature in slow measured steps and felt her face heat up in indignation. "How would you know, I don't know you. For all I know I'm dreaming and you're the product of stress and-"

"I'm not arguing with you." he interrupted her sadly and turned around, "If you want to stay her then I won't force you back, I'm sure Beanpole will eventually recover from his depression even if he never gets over you. You humans can only miss something so much before you let it go and get on with your lives, right?"

She flinched at that and the warmth in her stomach disappeared to leave behind the cold emptiness that had dogged her every step for the past few days, "Wait!" the creature turned around and looked at her expectantly and she bit her lip before the burning sensation she was now more than used to retrned to the back of her eyes and she didn't bother to stop the tears that gathered. "Why am I like this? What happened to me?"

"Does the reason why matter all that much?" she gave a large sniff and shrugged her shoulders; "You know you don't belong here anymore than the Truffula's I put here to get this tare wide enough for you to slip through." she looked at the trees and gave a slow nod of agreement. "You lived a life that no longer exists, you're just going to have to accept that and move on with it because you're not going to find it in an old house no matter how much effort you put into it. You've got _one_ chance to meet _one_ man that's changed you forever with a love that even _Gods_ can't erase." He shook his head incredulously at her, "I'm not what anyone would call a 'romantic', but that's an opportunity that even I wouldn't snuff my nose at."

The confusing speech did nothing to calm the questions in her mind, but she didn't bother trying to voice any of them. Even if she did 'live a life that no longer exists' how was that to help her? What would knowing what never happened do for her, "It's your choice, Doll-Face, but you can bet that my being here has brought attention that this is still open. After this you won't even be left with the Truffula's you're trying to replace him with."

She looked over at the small Truffula tree she still had and seen that he was right, the once vibrant orange was now just a poor imitation of a large, discolored dandelion puff she'd once thought of it as. The silky leaves struggling against their own weight and losing the battle right before her eyes, some even falling entirely from the trunk. "If you're right and I jump down your hole into Wonderland," she started slowly, wiping the tears away with the back of her sleeve and looking back at the small creature waiting for her answer, "I'll feel okay again, right?"

He studied her before shrugging his shoulders, "Well it couldn't hurt to try." he answered before he turned and jumped down the hole. Juniper's eyes widened and before she could stop herself she ran to the edge and jumped after him, letting her world slip away before her eyes as she plundged into darkness. There was no color, no light, no sound; just an empty void that swallowed her up with terror and a scream ripped out of her throat at her own stupidity.

* * *

Authors Note: So this chapter was vastly harder to write than the first, apparently whichever muse that had visited me the other day decided against swinging by to give me a hand on this one. It's not terrible, but when I compare it to chapter one I get a 'meh' feeling that won't be shaken off no matter how much more I alter and reword.

A real quick explanation on Juniper's thought process in this chapter: she's an idiot who doesn't quite understand her own feelings; because of that she tends not to think about the details and just tries to find an easy fix for her problems.

I don't condone stealing at all, bad Juniper! Stop listening to terrible advice! Especially if you're not going to use the stuff anyways!

Once-ler's family will make a re-appearance later on after their feeling recover from his 'new' personality... Or whenever his mother decides that money's worth more than her pride (she's shrewd, so that might not take her to long).

The Lorax is a powerful creature indeed, however not even he can foresee what would happen if he spread the crack open like that; but you can guess he probably would have found another way if he'd known his trees would fall through like they did. I'm also thinking he didn't picture Juniper piling a stack of heavy wood on top of it, either.

Sorry for the long authors note, but I figured there might be a few things that you'd want cleared up and/or explained.


	7. Chapter 7

Falling Deep: Whatever it Takes

Please continue to enjoy Falling Deep in it's new format!

* * *

Once-ler had his feet propped up with his ankles on his dining table when the Lorax returned and didn't bother to look up from the nearly completed Thneed to welcome him back. He did, however, toss out a casual greeting with a slight raise of his foot to substitute a hand wave, "Yo, welcome back."

He was having a bit of a problem with one of his knots, the darn thing didn't want to set right and kept poking out of the otherwise neat row. If he didn't manage to somehow work it in he was going to find himself having to unravel a good part of it and set himself back about an hours worth of knitting. On top of that his mother kept calling trying to yell at him for being 'a devil of a child whom she regretted giving birth to' to the point that he'd had to stuffed the damn thing between his mattresses and did his best to forget it existed.

Almost on cue a muffled ring came from his bed and he frowned into his lap when it showed no sign of ending before looking up to complain to his friend and finding the very blonde girl that had been haunting his vision for the past few weeks. She was staring at him with a mixture of confusion an intense concentration that had goose bumps quickly chasing down his arms with blue eyes so dark they nearly bordered onto the color purple. Her long and somewhat dirty blonde hair hung limply down her back in a tangled mess and her pale skin was nearly translucent enough for him to make out the thin blue lines where her veins would be with large dark circles giving her the impression of a raccoon.

He carefully took his feet off the table and put them on the ground, giving her a nod of greeting before his eyes looked about for the Lorax, "He said he had to clean up the mess I made." she stated, scrunching her nose and frowning a bit, "I still maintain he shouldn't have put his crack under my stuff." Once-ler nodded slowly and she fidgeted a bit under his stare before licking her lips and coughing, "I can go if I'm bothering you-"

"No!" He was already on his feet before she could finish her sentence and she jumped a bit from the force of his answer and he shook his head, "No, sorry. You're not bothering me, you just look really familiar is all."

She nodded her head, "I know the feeling." she stated, tilting her head at him and giving an amused smile, "Then again, I guess we did know each other in another life." he didn't know what to say to that but decided to nod anyhow so that he wouldn't have to admit it. "I'm Juniper Fallie."

Once-ler nodded, "Once-ler."

She nodded.

They stood there staring at each other in awkward silence and Once-ler had no idea what to do about it, "I take it Mustache told you that you can stay here?"

She shook her head, however, "No, actually he didn't." now she looked worried and brought her thumb to her lips before visibly stopping herself from chewing on the waiting nail and instead tried to push her hand through her hair. Failing in that she gave a laugh, "Sorry, I just woke up from sleeping in a truck. If I'd known I was going to 'drop by' I would have at least brushed my hair."

Once-ler shrugged and made to stuff his own hands into his pocket when he realized he still had hold of his needles and the now mangled remains of the dark blue Thneed in his hands that he know seen was just a hallow imitation of her eyes. He put his needles on top of the table and tossed the Thneed into the garbage, breaking eye contact as he did and sighing a bit in relief.

"I've got a shower in back, it's not much but it'll get you clean." he informed her, walking over to it as he spoke so that he'd have a continued reason to not look at her. Luckily he'd just refilled the bathroom water reserve last evening before he'd gone to bed so there was more than enough for her to take however long a shower she wanted which would give him time to think.

When he turned around, however, she was still standing by the door looking at him and he felt heat slowly rise to his cheeks when he realized he'd just basically called her dirty. "Not that you're dirty, just thought you'd want to be clean...er..." he coughed, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to think of a way to smooth over the double blunder when soft bell like laughter froze his heart mid beat.

Her smile was soft and small, but he could picture it full and wide with sparkling white teeth showing between the full pink lips and blue eyes dancing with laughter. It would come slow, first starting at the right corner before the left rose to join it and stretching so much that her lips would have to part so that it could finish in two small dimples just below the corner of either eye. He felt a smile of his own slipping onto his face and laughed, "Care for a shower?"

His laugh must have triggered something in her as well because her smile bloomed exactly as he knew it would and she nodded, "I'd love one."

* * *

Juniper stood in the shower grateful for both the steamy hot water and the time alone in which she could use to collect her thoughts instead of standing there staring at the man. She'd thought she'd recognize him a little, after all if what that creature had said was true, she'd known him almost as well as she knew herself in another life. However she hadn't expected him to look so _right_, and when he'd laughed every detail was so crystal clear to her that she hadn't even needed to look at him to know every small detail. Had somehow _missed_ the ever so slight tilt, as though he had a secret in his pocket that he didn't plan to share _just_ because it amused him to know something you didn't.

He was handsome, which also hadn't surprised her; with broad cheekbones, smooth skin, and a button nose that was unexpectedly adorable and gave him a hint of boyish charm that made her want to smile. He was tall, too, towering over her by at least seven inches; which was no small feat and she wondered if she wouldn't actually be able to wear heals next to him? She shook the stupid idea out of her head and laughed at herself for actually thinking it, when would she get the opportunity to stand next to him wearing heals?

If his first reaction to her presence was any indication; he preferred having his space to himself. She didn't blame him for it, who wanted their house invaded by a stranger? Especially one that he had to show to the shower first thing after entering his home? When she'd first stepped into the offered bathroom and seen her appearance reflected back at her through the mirror over his sink she'd nearly screamed her mortification for anyone in a fifty mile radius to hear.

Sighing she lathered up her hair using his shampoo before cautiously peeking around the plastic curtain and giving her soapy hair a quick sniff. It smelled nice; did his smell the same? Shaking her head she blushed and hurriedly rinsed her hair, feeling like a complete pervert for even wondering what his hair smelled like to begin with. "Who thinks like that?" she mumbled to herself, making sure to keep her voice low enough for the shower to drown out.

After soaping up her body with a cloth and a bar of soap she rinsed and turned the water off, reaching out for the fluffy white towel he'd set out for her and wrapping it around her body. After drying she made to slip into her clothes when a knock sounded on the door, "Hey, uh... Juniper," she stifled the startled squeak and suppressed the insane urge to jump behind the shower curtain again, "I was wondering if you needed any clothes?"

"If you have any you can spare, that'd be great." She answered and it wasn't a full minute until he knocked again and she opened the door to accept the clothes. Safe in the towel, she hadn't thought twice about opening the door fully; however his face had immediately turned tomato red and stuttered something out so intelligibly that she she could only smiled in bemusement and accept the clothes that his shaky hand held out to her.

She made a mental note to never do that to the poor man again.

* * *

She'd answered the door naked...

Sure, she was wrapped in a towel but for some strange reason that had only made it worse for him and his now over active imagination. He had to actually give a vicious shake of his head to clear the more lewd pictures from his head before he could breath properly and had to sit down and wait for the rest to clear out. Thankfully it seemed like she liked to take her time changing, so when she came back his face wasn't nearly as hot and he was able to meet her eyes without seeming like a pervert despite the fact that he felt like he was.

Her wet hair had been towel dried the best she could manage but still maintained damn curls that clung to her cheeks and his shirt, leaving the thin fabric where it touched fairly transparent and he did his best to keep his eyes glued firmly to only her neck up... Even the neck was slightly pushing it, though, and he had to turn his eyes away from her completely, which probably seemed odd so he clung to the first activity he could do without thought he parked himself at his table and snatched up his knitting needles to began work a new Thneed.

A squeak brought his attention to his bed and he nearly had a heart attack when he realized she'd made herself at home and _sat_ on it cross legged and he took a quick second to thank whichever god that had given him the foresight to offer her pants. "What are you making?" she asked curiously, breaking him away from his current train of thought.

"A Thneed." He answered before gesturing to the one he usually wore hanging across the foot of his iron bed frame and she reached over for it, feeling the fabric curiously, "I sell them to people who come by wanting them."

She nodded and brought it up to sniff, her eyes widening a bit, "Is it made from the Truffula leaves?" he grinned and nodded, surprised that she'd realized it so quickly and she gave a giggle, "I never thought you could _wear_ it!" She happily threw his Thneed around her neck before remembering her hair was wet and taking it back off, "Sorry about that."

"Nah, it's super absorbent, if I'd have thought of it I'd have given you one to use instead of the towel." He joked before an image popped into his head that sent him into a massive coughing fit that, thankfully, excused his undoubtedly crimson face. He continued to cough until he felt his face cool a bit and hit his chest a bit, grinning at the concerned looking girl weakly and made a show of standing up and retrieving a glass of water. "Tickle in my throat."

"Ah, I hate it when that happens." She said, frowning a bit and he gave a weak smile, "So it's a towel, then?"

Not wanting to repeat his coughing fit he shrugged, "Or a hat... scarf, shirt, umbrella." her eyes widened and he grinned at her, "It's very versatile, I had someone come by the other day telling me it makes an excellent parachute." her eyes widened a bit and she burst out with her bell like laughter again and he chuckled with her, "I prefer using mine as a scarf, though."

"Still nice to know it's an option." She quipped and he tilte his glass to her in a salute before walking back to the table and resuming work on his newest Thneed, "How much do they cost?"

He nearly opened his mouth to blast out an exorbitant price on reflex before catching himself, "What color do you want?" he asked instead, standing up once more to go to the closet where he'd taken to storing the finished Thneeds. They all sat neatly stacked on the floor, each individually wrapped in their baggies and waiting to be sold.

"Do you have any purple?" He heard the bed squeak and looked over his shoulder to see that she was leaning on the iron foot board, watching him look through his closet. Turning back around he found a purple Thneed and slipped it from the middle of the stack taking care not to send the small tower toppling over.

He tossed it to her and she caught it, opening the bag and smiling happily at the dark purple Thneed in her hands before holding it back out to him, "How do I make a blanket?"

"Are you cold? I can turn the oven on for a bit." she shook her head and he shrugged, taking the Thneed and quickly folding it about until it became a medium sized blanket and handed it back. She didn't hesitate to wrap it about herself and snuggle into it, sighing happily, "So I'm guessing you like it?"

"Love it, everyone should have one." She confirmed, breathing in deeply and sighing happily, "If butterflies could be milked it would smell like this." he blinked at her before closing the closet door, knowing that she couldn't have possibly known just how exact her thoughts lined up to his. "Well it would." she mumbled, taking another deep breath and he gave her a grin.

He took his seat once more and picked up his needles, "How much do I owe you?"

"Consider it a welcoming gift." He answered causally as he worked the needles in his lap, feeling more confident now that he had something he could direct his attention to, "So how badly did Mustache yell at you for splattering paint all over his trees?"

She laughed, "Let's just say I'm lucky I managed to get here with my hearing intact and without bursting into flame. Apparently the paint's Eco-friendly and the entire reason why I'm not being drown in the river." Once-ler laughed at that, shaking his head, "Hey, you might think it's funny, but for a minute there I thought I was going to be murdered by a hair ball, do you know what that does to your self-esteem?"

The table opposite of him scrapped lightly against the floor and he gave a quick glance up to see her sliding into it with the Thneed still wrapped loosely around her shoulders. After a few moments he looked up again to see her watching the movement of the knitting needles an hesitated a moment before offering them to her, "Want to try?"

She bit her lip and itched her palms, "I would, but I've never knitted before and I'd probably ruin it." he rolled his eyes and pressed the needles into her hand, ignoring the weak protests that came out of her mouth. "Really, what are you going to do if I trash the whole thing?"

"I'll make a new one." He answered and she huffed, "Go ahead and try it out, you might find you like it." she nodded slowly and started working the needles in her hands clumsily and he folded his arms against the table top to watch. At first the knots were a bit uneven, however as she continued she started making full neat little rows one after the other, picking up speed as she went along and confirming a slight suspicion he'd had.

She was the pouting girl under the tree, "Not bad for a beginner." he complimented, "You ever done this before?"

She shook her head, her eyes wide as she continued knitting the Thneed before suddenly putting the needles down and gaping at him, "That was entirely to easy." he studied her before giving a careless shrug, "It's weird."

"Not really." He denied, picking up the needles and picking up where she left off, "Sometimes it just comes naturally to people." The excuse was weak, but she accepted it with a nod and he grinned, not able to resist teasing her a bit, "Of course, only to the weird ones."

"Shut up, Once-ler." She muttered, rolling her eyes away from him and he laughed.

The door opened and a few animals skittered in before the Lorax stepped through and shut the door behind him, leveling a flat stare at the girl; "You're not allowed to handle paint in my forest again." he told her seriously and she shot him a grin, "Let's see how brightly you smile when you're falling a hundred feet from the air."

"I've got a Thneed that can turn into a parachute." she informed him jokingly and held it up as proof, "Your threat is useless against me." he growled and she coughed, "I really am sorry, I didn't know I was throwing it into the forest."

For a moment the guardian's eyes softened and Once-ler thought he would relent a bit, however the moment was short lived, "Ever."

"Fine, no painting." Juniper conceded and Once-ler grinned when she held up a hand to block her lips and mouthed 'unforgiving runt, isn't he?' to him and earned herself a pinch for her effort. She yelped and rubbed her injured wrist, "Trim your nails you animal." she muttered.

The Lorax opened his mouth to retaliate and Once-ler pushed himself away from the table, "So who wants pancakes?"

Attention diverted the Lorax raised his hand and Juniper's quickly added her vote as well before her stomach rumbled and she blushed. "Start eating and that won't happen." The Lorax joked and she stuck her tongue out at him childishly. Not to be out done, the Lorax responded with a raspberry that had both Once-ler and Juniper rolling in near hysterics.

"Someone as hairy as you should never do that again." Once-ler managed to wheeze out before turning around and starting his batter. When Juniper came up to look over his shoulder he gave one a flip, catching it expertly in the pan and she erupted with applause and he smirked at her before flipping another higher in the air and catching it again.

"Stop showing off, Beanpole, some of us are actually starving here." The Lorax grumbled and Once-ler threw a dirty look over his shoulder before _accidentally_ flipping another pancake a bit to far over his shoulder. It landed on his friends head and the grumbling turned into half formed threats of bodily harm.

"Whoops."

* * *

Juniper watched as Once-ler piled a plate with pancakes that towered comically high and set them onto the table before turning to start another batch and she stared at him wide eyes, "You're making more?" she asked. Instead of answering he pointed his spatula over his shoulder and she turned to see that each of the animals had snatched every available pancake from the plate, leaving only crumbs behind; "_Hey_!"

"You gotta get 'em while the getting's good, Doll-Face." The Lorax informed her as he poured gravy over his four pancakes, "If you don't learn that you're gonna starve."

She crossed her arms and pouted at the gluttonous little pig as he stuffed his face full of the fluffy disks and was tempted to throw her fork at him. "Sorry if I choose to wait for everyone before porking everything down." she huffed, then flinched as he stuffed nearly an entire pancake into his mouth, "If this is revenge for the paint then congrats, mission accomplished." she stated flatly.

Two pancakes were slid onto her plate and she looked over to watch Once-ler reclaiming his spot with a few on his plate as well with an amused grin on his face. She rolled her eyes and reached for the syrup, pouring it on thickly and letting it pool around the edges before sliding it over for him to use as well. Cutting into her small stack she quickly took a bit and hummed her appreciation to him. "This is good."

"Of course it's good, I made it." Once-ler replied cockily and she grinned at him before diverting her attention to her meal. She ended up eating everything plus three more before she was full, then she went to work covering her fork tines with her remaining syrup and licking that as well before sighing in satisfaction. Once-ler and the fuzz ball Lorax were laughing at her, but she didn't care, she hadn't eaten that well for days and it looked like her stomach wasn't in the mood to reject even a bite.

Once-ler quickly collected the plates from the table and dumped them into the sink, washing up the mess and ignoring her offer of help so she picked up the knitting needles and worked on his Thneed instead. It turned out to be a mindless task for her and she was able to watch in amazement as she neatly finished the Thneed, holding it out proudly for Once-ler's inspection with a cocky smirk of her own on her face.

The fact that he didn't look surprised at all that she could knit a Thneed without even a pattern to go by on her first attempt made her feel like he'd expected it and she wasn't sure how she should feel about that. He'd simply packaged it up and placed it on one of the stacks in his closet, apparently deeming it a good enough quality to even sell and she arched a brow, "I'm not responsible if that's a faulty Thneed." she warned him playfully.

"It's not faulty." He stated, no hint of doubt in his voice as he stretched his back and looked around his tent for something before giving up and just sitting back at the table. He looked content enough to just sit there, so she let him, propping her chin up against the heal of her hand and closing her eyes, it felt nice. Not once since she'd stepped into the tent had she felt that anything was wrong or off despite the many odd things she didn't recognize. Her belly was full and the pressure that had been chasing at her temples ever since she woke up in the dirt was no longer there.

She didn't even mind that the tent was fairly stuffed full with cute little living teddy bears or fish that walked and the birds that nested themselves wherever they pleased snored lyrically giving everything a pleasant atmosphere. It was so soothing that she didn't even realize she'd fallen asleep until she woke up to find herself in the middle of Once-ler's bed under his blankets with a few teddy bear bed mates that were snuggled against her in warm cuddly balls.

"I wasn't sure if you'd want to be woken up or not so I just let you sleep." Once-ler's voice spoke, bringing her attentionover to the couch a short distance away. He had his legs propped up on one of the arms and his back pushed up against the other with another Thneed in his lap being sewn. He looked entirely too cramped but he was still grinning at her as though he was the coziest person in the world.

She shook her head and gingerly stepped out of the bed, making sure not to thread upon any unsuspecting snoozing animal as she made her way over and pushed his feet off the couch to make room for herself, "You could have put me on the couch." she pointed out. He gave a careless wave of his hand to show he didn't mind and she shrugged before settling to watch him work quietly before sighing, "This is nice."

"It is." He agreed simply, nodding his head before pausing his work and looking seriously at her in a considering manner and she crossed her arms over her knees, silently waiting for him to put whatever thought it was he had into words. "Your presence has been chasing me everywhere." he finally blurted quietly, shaking his head before looking back down at the Thneed in his lap. He probably thought the darkness covered the slight tinge of red on his face and she let him believe it, keeping it a warm little secret to herself. "It was like you ghost was chasing me around everywhere I went, it was actually very aggravating."

She thought for a moment before looking over at him and frowning, "So you really think we've had a past life or whatever?" she asked. He didn't answer, but he didn't need to; "Do you play guitar?"

He looked up again at her and grinned, "Sure do." he answered and she smiled at him, "It's over there collecting dust at the moment." she looked to where he pointed and spotted a simple black and white beaten up guitar in the corner.

Her smile widened and she stood up, zigzagging around sleeping bodies until she was by the instrument and brought it back with her, sitting on the couch and looking at the old worn strings, "This is it." she sighed happily, hugging it before positioning it in her lap. She didn't strum the strings, not wanting to wake anyone up, but her smile didn't lessen, "I couldn't even hold mine anymore."

He chuckled, "Something off about it?" he guessed and she murmured a positive sounding noise; he put the knitting needles aside and took the guitar from her hands. Standing up he gestured for her to follow him with a jerk of his head and left the tent, she quickly retrieved her Thneed from his mattress before trailing after him. He'd walked over to a wooden cart and was sitting in the back with his guitar in his lap and she climbed in herself.

He was tuning the strings, turning knobs and adjusting the volume until the vibrated the notes softly into the night. She leaned back against the wooden walls of the cart and listened to him play a simple tune, closing her eyes and sighing happily as the notes washed over her like a warm blanket. He mumbled something and she heard him adjust his position before starting again and grinned, picturing him in a small bed with a pick that he never used clamped between his teeth and peeked an eye open to even see the same expression.

"We were in love." She stated, feeling no embarrassment for saying the words out loud and he looked up, his eyes meeting her seriously.

"I guess we were." He stated, tilting his head to look at her before grinning and giving her a wink, "Of course, how could you resist me?"

She grinned and arched an eyebrow, "Indeed, your bunny pajamas are so sexy it's blowing my mind." he looked down at the pajamas and blinked at them, as though forgetting he was wearing them. She laughed and poked his knee with her toe to get his attention, "Very manly, it really curls my toes."

He gave her a playful wink and went back to fiddling with the guitar before pausing suddenly and looking up at her, "You're staying, right?" he looked worried, his brows knitting together tightly to form lines on his brow.

The question gave her pause and she took a moment to fold her legs under her before answering, "Well, I don't want to leave; but I don't think I wanted to leave last time, either." she looked up at him to see him nodding slowly, the frown still fixed on his face as his fingers idly smoothed over the guitar strings. She wanted to give him some assurance, to ease the pained look from his face, but she had no idea what to say before tilting her head to the side and smiling at him, "I can promise I won't leave, though."

"So you might not stay, but you won't leave." He asked and she gave a small one shouldered shrug and sighed, "Better than nothing."

"That's good, because aside from that I've got nothing else." she meant it as a joke, but he nodded seriously and looked down at the instrument in his lap, picking out another slow tune. It sounded a bit sad, the notes bending into each other soulfully and she leaned forward a bit, "Do you think we were happy with each other?"

"Without a doubt." He answered without hesitation, "I was too miserable for us to be anything else." he looked at her for a second, his fingers slipping off the strings and letting the forest sounds take over. He obviously wanted her to say something, but just what it was she had no idea so she let the silence take over and looked back at him. His dark brown hair ruffled in the wind and he pushed it back from his eyes with long slender fingers that slid through fluidly, sighing and looking up at the brightest stars she'd ever seen.

He looked a bit silly, sitting with his knees up in his bunny pajamas with a guitar in his lap, but the image was somehow very dear to her. Each slight movement he made, from curling his fingers against his knees to flexing his toes against the flat wooden bottom of the cart, was familiar and comforting. Even the dissatisfied frown creasing his brow made her smile and she leaned forward, taking his guitar and setting it aside before crawling between his legs and settling her back against his chest.

He sat frozen for a moment, but then long arms wrapped around her stomach and held her tightly to him before releasing a deep sigh. She could feel the even thumps of his heart and wondered if she'd taken advantage of his warmth before; somehow she doubted it. It was an entirely new type of feeling, both suspenseful and peaceful; odd as she'd never been one who enjoyed sharing her personal space with others. "It's kind of weird, isn't it?"

He nodded and she felt him breath deeply again before moving his chin off her shoulder to pick her up a bit so he could readjust his long body before settling her back against his chest, "Kind of, but I'm not going to worry about it."

* * *

The heavy warmth against his chest was something Once-ler didn't planning on releasing any time soon, but it didn't look like she was in a hurry to move so he didn't bother telling her. She tucked perfectly against his long body and he privately enjoyed the way she unconsciously snuggled deeper into his arms. She was right, it was a bit strange; then again, what about their situation _wasn't_ weird and why _shouldn't_ he enjoy it?

He reached over and picked up the guitar again and she lifted her arm to allow it to rest in her lap and he began plucking lazily at the strings again. It wasn't long until she began humming along with the tune, her foot keeping time by tapping softly against the wood floor boards. He was pleasantly unnerved that she was able to do it since he was only playing around without going for any particular song.

If what the Lorax said was true, which he firmly believed was the case, then he and Juniper had once shared a close relationship that was cut short before they could act on any feelings they had for each other. A tight friendship and mutual understanding of appreciation. He glanced at his tent and tried to picture the cottage that he'd apparently built, which was odd since he had no wood working skills whatsoever.

The girl in his lap obviously knew less than he did, maybe she pictured a full whirl wind romance with a thousand kisses instead of the comfortable support they'd actually shared, but that didn't really matter to him. What did matter was that the Lorax had been right; there was no true awkwardness in having her in his lap with the guitar propped against them both. He didn't mind at all when her fingers trailed themselves across his arms to loosely grasp his sleeves, and he could honestly say he enjoyed the way her head rested lightly against his chest.

The only thing that bothered him was the knowledge that he might wake up again with an even deeper scar on his heart and have to suffer the same mind numbing depression that had very nearly swallowed him whole. The thought of her ghost chasing him about with teasing bits of her image littering about his life stilled his fingers and froze his heart. What if he woke up tomorrow with plans of heading to town to sell his first Thneed, completely forgetting that there was supposed to be a sweet smile meant just for him as he struggled to remember what he'd forgotten.

He shook his head and sighed, just what was he supposed to do about that? She couldn't give him a guarantee even if she wanted to and her promise that she wouldn't leave just meant that if she did it wouldn't be by her own will. "You stopped playing." her voice informed him groggily and he looked down to see her eyes drooping a bit as she struggled to resist the large yawn that still managed to escape.

He nodded and set his guitar aside, wrapping his arms over her shoulders, "Yep." he answered despite not needing to. He didn't care if she was tired, she could just stay in his lap forever and he wouldn't have any worries about jerk gods poking their noses into business that couldn't do them any harm. "Go to sleep."

She shook her head and stretched against him, pushing her back against his chest as her arms rose over her head, "I don't want to, if I go to sleep then I'll wake up and you'll be gone."

"You've already woken up once, remember?" He asked her, frowning at their feet before reaching over and collecting her forgotten Thneed from where she'd sat. She muttered something that he didn't understand but sounded negative, "Everything's going to be okay, they can't take you if I don't let go." it was probably a lie, but it was one that had her relaxing against him with her head on his shoulder so he didn't mind saying it.

* * *

The sun hit Juniper's eyes harshly, rousing her from a pleasant dream where she'd taken a wild gamble and followed a strange little fur ball claiming to be a forest guardian into a brightly colored forest where she'd fallen asleep wrapped up tightly against the chest of a man that swore to hold her all through the night. She could still feel his arms locked tightly around her waist and hear his strong heartbeat under her ear so much so that she refused to open her eyes and let the dream fade away.

It wasn't until she heard the braying of a donkey that she popped her eyes open to see that she was, indeed, still wrapped in his arms with the fluffy purple Thneed he'd given her wrapped around them. He was propped up against the side of the cart they had slept in with a slight frown causing two little dimples to form between his eyes and looked about as comfortable as one would expect from sleeping sitting up, probably made more so with her curled comfortably on his lap.

She tried to untangle his fingers from each other and was slowly moving his arms from around her when his wrists suddenly jerked from her fingers to once again lock around her waist so tightly that she lost her breath and he jerked awake. She looked up to see his eyes blink sleepily before flinching slightly and rotating his his shoulders, probably to ease the pinched nerves of his neck, and looked around with an air of confusion before realizing she was in his lap. His hold loosened dramatically and she took a large swallow of air, "Morning." She wheezed.

He yawned again and scooted them over until he could stretch out on the bottom of the cart, "Not yet." he muttered, pressing her head back to his shoulder and closing his eyes. She blinked as she felt his breath quickly even out under her head before realizing he'd already fallen back to sleep and tried to untangle herself again. It took her two tries to realize she was getting now where and groaned before giving up and laying across his chest feeling like a full body pillow. "Seriously, this can't be comfortable for you."

"Good luck with that, I dumped him into the river and he didn't wake up." She heard a voice claim and arched her neck until she could see the Lorax sitting at the bottom of the cart, "If I was you I'd get comfortable and go back to sleep cuz it doesn't look like he's letting go any time soon." his tone was snarky and his smirk entirely to pleased, but Juniper couldn't reach him to even kick him so she settled for a glare and folded her arms across the man's chest to proper her head up a little and ease the strain on her neck.

The Lorax's smirk widened and she rolled her eyes, "Once-ler," she called, ignoring the laughing Lorax and trying to shake his shoulder a little and getting no response, "wouldn't you be more comfortable on your bed?" she asked, grinning in satisfaction as one of his eyes hazily peeked open to look at her in consideration. "Come on, I'll tuck you in and everything." she offered with a smile, trying to heave him up with her and failing fantastically. The Lorax laughed again and Juniper speared him with a frustrated glare, "Can you levitate him or something?"

"Doesn't work like that, Doll-Face." The Lorax replied smartly and she looked at him flatly, thinking back to when she'd falling through the ground and into the sky before he'd snatched the collar of her shirt and slowed her fall enough that when she landed on the ground she wasn't hurt. She reminded him of this and he shrugged, "Life and death situations don't count, he won't die from sleeping on a cart but I'm sure you wouldn't make it far landing on a pile of lumber."

In other words he planned on watching her struggle for his own amusement. She sniffed at him and returned to trying to heave the half asleep man up enough to get him standing, which was far more difficult then it should have been since his arms wouldn't let go of her. Soon she just gave up and made herself comfortable, just beginning to fall back asleep when a pillow hit her face and startled her back awake.

"Look, I helped ya." The Lorax mocked and she tried to kick him, coming up several inches to short in her reach before she took the pillow and managed to work it under Once-ler's head. He said something about wet towels and squeezed her tight enough that she was sure her ribs would crack, "I'd stop moving around before he accidentally snaps you in half."

He was probably right so she stilled against the sleeping man under her and was pleased to find his grip on her slacken enough to ease the pressure on her ribs. The blanket Thneed was thrown over them and she chanced a quick glimpse at the Lorax, giving him a smile in thanks and he waved it away and hopped off the cart to wander around and do whatever it was that tree guardian's did when they were tired of bothering humans.

* * *

Authors Note: My dog, Lily, is so weird... We give her a bite of burrito and she carries it around for nearly ten minutes before wanting outside, then she does a weird trot around the yard like she's showing off before sitting down and eating it.

I like to think she's bragging to the other dogs. "Look what I've got that you don't. Yum."


	8. Chapter 8

Falling Deep: Whatever it Takes

_**My name's not 'Shorty' and I only like Boo's on Halloween!**_ So my friend got himself a new boyfriend who's two friends (Gator and Debo; I'm not playing, that's their names) won't stop hitting on me. o.o They're effin' huge and mean looking, I'm screwed. v.v

Kohal's, I love your toilet commercial and will never hear that song the same way ever again... Nananana, nananana, hey, hey, hey, good bye! XD Seriously, that made me lawl, props.

This chapter hates me... Every other chapter hates me, I'm doomed to shine one minute and suck the rest (you will **never** know how many pages I've written, deleted, rewritten, and deleted again; it's to humiliating to admit) and the only thing I can think to do about it is blame my fingers for not having a mind of their own and just doing all the work for my brain. Ugh, fifth time's the charm! I will write an amazing chapter, you'll see! … =.= I hate my fingers.

* * *

Once-ler awoke slowly, his shoulders stiff and his back aching as though he'd slept on the floor and he wondered which of the animals had managed to shove him off the bed. Luckily for whoever it was, he'd dreamed the blonde had magically appeared and had fallen asleep in his arms; he hugged his pillow tightly and buried his face in it's hair to block the lat afternoon sun from his reluctant eyes before he recalled that his pillow didn't have hair. His pillow also didn't wiggle when he held it, and it especially didn't groan and elbow him in the ribs in effort to slacken his hold.

He opened his eyes to see golden blonde hair draped across the floor boards of his cart and felt his stomach clench almost painfully to see the small heart shaped face of the blonde just inches from his own. She was frowning in her sleep and had little lines of concentration between her brows before he realized he was holding her too tightly and eased his grip; sure enough the lines smoothed out and she gave a soft moan, opening dark blue eyes to blink sleepily at him.

It was the first and only time Once-ler had ever watched a female his own age wake up, and if he had a camera he would have filmed it to watch again and again for the rest of his life and never get tired of. Starting with a lazy feline stretch that arched her back off the wooden bottom of the cart as her arms lifted over her head at a slight bend so that she could twist and turn the stiffness of her shoulders and neck away. Then, just when he thought it was over, she sat up and stretched her arms over her head, leaning into another arch and sighing when she'd finished, as though she'd completely enjoyed every last second of it.

Then she scratched the back of her neck and looked back at him with bedroom eyes and he nearly fled the cart in effort to get into the shower before she could see his full reaction to her erotic little morning wake up dance. Once he'd safely made it into the shower he leaned back against the tiles and took several deep gulps of air before shedding his clothes and closing the curtains around him. "Aw, what's the matter, Beanpole, to much to deal with first thing in the morning?" he heard the Lorax snark and jerked the curtain back open enough to see the conceded look on his friends face.

Without answering he went back to his shower and let the cool water run over him for a minute before adjusting the temperature and cleaning himself, all the while trying not to think of the utter and complete ass he'd made out of himself.

He still felt foolish as he turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, thankful to see that the Lorax had at least taken the hint and left him some privacy, leaving only a clean set of clothes on the back of the toilet to show he was even there to begin with. It wasn't until he was dried and dressed that he looked in the mirror and was pleased to see that he at least didn't _look_ like the thirteen-year-old boy that he had been expecting to look back at him.

He opened the bathroom door casually and stepped out and looked around the room to see Juniper and the Lorax sitting at the table sipping coffees and in the middle of what seemed to be an intense conversation. "So you really need to watch how you wake up in the mornings because I can't bring back the dead no matter how powerful and great I am."

"That's enough of that!" Once-ler choked out, jumping the rest of the way to the table and slamming both hands on top so firmly that he could feel multiple stings shooting through his palms.

Juniper jumped and looked at him like he'd lost his mind and the Lorax nearly fell out of his chair from laughing as Once-ler tried to control the furious blush that was slowly consuming his entire face. "What's wrong, Beanpole, having a hard time this morning?" he didn't know if the words were intentional or not, but he highly suspected they were and opened his mouth to tell the fur ball off when he caught sight of the utterly confused look that Juniper was giving him. "I was just telling her that some of the bar-ba-loots have taken to sleeping on your floor at night, stop jumping to conclusions."

He gave he Lorax a pleading look, silently begging for the teasing to end and gave a single agonized nod to confirm that he was, indeed, having a difficult time. He couldn't even wrap his mind around the concept that several months had been removed from his memory, leaving behind only feelings and images that must have been firmly imprinted on is heart. A girl he didn't know but firmly knew he couldn't live without sat at his table drinking coffee with a tree guardian who doubled as a mischievous wannabe cupid bent on causing him so much stress he wouldn't be surprised if he just keeled over on the spot at any given moment.

The confidence he had when he left the bathroom laid at his feet, shattered beyond any hope of repair, and he sagged into a chair, putting his head on his arms, "The effort your giving this is entirely unjustifiable." he mumbled miserably. He heard the lorax laugh again and the sound of a chair scrapping across the floor and gave a listless wave towards the door and letting his arm flop back to the table as the door clicked into place. It would figure the little runt would abandon him once he was completely and utterly defeated by a combination of his own imagination and a well timed sentence.

Now he was left alone with the girl after humiliating himself.

Wonderful.

Slender fingers started combing through his hair comfortingly and he looked over to see Juniper leaning the table petting his hair. The soft, repetitive motion was soothing and he privately enjoyed the light cool touch, closing his eyes and slowing his breathing until it matched her smooth caress. For once the Lorax was remaining silent and he cracked an eye open to see her smile at him, "It's okay."

The murmured words probably shouldn't have been as encouraging as he felt they were, but he wasn't going to nitpick; bringing his hand up he brushed his thumb across her cheek, the smooth skin feeling far softer than any Thneed he'd ever made. The impulse to continue touching her had him taking some of her hair and wrapping it around her fingers, she must have found his hair brush because the smooth silky strands slipped through without catching even once on his calloused knuckles.

The muffled ringing of his phone broke through the quiet and brought him back from the cozy little place Juniper's fingers had taken him. Releasing her hair he sat up and leaned back in his chair, looking over his shoulder at his bed and frowning at it darkly before standing up, "Let's get out of here for a while, I know this great little ice cream shop in town."

Her eyes followed him as he walked over to his dresser and opened his sock drawer to grab a handful of bills, sorting through them and putting them in an even stack, "We can get you some clothes, too." turning around he spotted her open mouthed astonishment and grinned, fanning the money out for her to see, "Obviously, I can afford it."

"You just _shove_ your money in with your socks like that?" He looked at his dresser before letting his eyes settle on her once more and she laughed, covering her mouth with her palm and he couldn't resist chuckling with her, "Well at least you know where it all is, right?"

"Not really." He answered, sending her into another bought of laughter when he flitted a hand in the direction of his rarely used office, "I think I got some in there, too; probably in the desk or something. I'm sure I could find it if I needed to so I wouldn't really call it lost or anything like that."

"But it's definitely _misplaced_." She stressed the word, lifting her hands up so her middle and index fingers could quickly curl into quotation marks to get her point across. He crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow in a 'so what' manner that had her shaking her head bemusedly, "I admire your carefree lifestyle."

"Great, because you're part of it." He informed her promptly, pushing the complications of the sentence to the back of his mind before they had a chance to disturb his new found determination. She gave him a bright smile that he took as a reward for his efforts and he decided to see as much of it as he could. "Hurry up and get ready, we're wasting daylight."

When the walked into town Once-ler nearly did a double take, blinking shocked eyes at the sheer amount of Thneeds people supported and wondering if he'd actually made them all. Had they really become that popular without him even trying? He even spotted a police officer taking a purple Thneed off his shoulders to shape into a seat cover before putting it in his car and driving away without thinking twice of it.

"Wow, you're really successful then, aren't you?" Juniper asked curiously, looking at her own Thneed with new respect glowing in her eyes before looking up at him and shaking her head, "The cop has the same color as me, I'm not sure if I like that."

Laughing he shook his head, "I'll make you one with every color in it, then you won't have to worry about having the same as anyone else." he joked, curling his arm around her shoulders to guide her to the first clothing store he spotted. The small shop was packed full of shelves, racks, hooks, and counters that were packed full of shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, shoes, bags, and he didn't know what else and he couldn't help but wonder how anyone could find anything out of the apparent mess that was before him.

He prepared himself for a long wait and had just sat down when Juniper pulled out a pair jeans and a simple long sleeved t-shirt, "What do you think about these?" his heart sink as her eyes studied his inquisitively, holding the jeans out for his opinion.

They were dark blue with delicate looking flowers embroidered near the bottoms and brightly colored butterflies around the knees and thighs. He gave a nod of his head and she took them to the fitting room to try on, when she came back out she had his clothes thrown over her arm looking far more comfortable in properly fitting clothes. He waited for a pose that never came and had to catch up to her at the counter as the sales girl rang the clothes up and put his old ones in a paper bag, "Thirty-six seventy-eight, please."

There was a brief battle of wills that occurred when Juniper tried to haggle the sales girl down over the shirt that ended in Juniper's loss and they were out of the store in less than thirty minutes. It was quick, painless, and didn't require him to do anything but give an opinion over a pair of jeans that he'd honestly liked.

He started wondering if it was only his mother that forced men into giving detailed thoughts for each item after combing through the store for several hours in search of every article of clothing that had 'possibility' of joining her frighteningly large wardrobe. "That didn't take as long as I thought it would." he mentioned casually.

She studied him before laughing and shaking her head, "We were only in there half an hour at the most, don't be such a man over it." she gently shoved her with her shoulder and lifted her arms, finally giving the pose that he'd expected in the store, "Besides, when you want to look this good you've either got to take your time or be really lucky." he checked her off as lucky and took the paper sack from her fingers and replaced it with his hand.

They were on their way to the ice cream shop and in the middle of an intense debate of chocolate verses vanilla when they were stopped by the sound of his name being shrieked from across the park. Looking around for the source of it his eyes spotted his mother's signature hairstyle from a block away and mentally congratulated the woman's lungs before steeling himself for the verbal assault he knew would be coming.

He had enough time to look at Juniper with an apologetic grin, "Don't take anything she says or does personally." she gave him a befuddled frown as his mother walked up to them, her blue boots tapping loudly against the concrete sidewalk and a stiff smile on her face that served as his warning that he was about to be blasted with the guilt trip from hell.

"Oncie, why haven't you answered your phone all day?" She asked, her hands on her hips with long manicured nails tapping against her waist. "I've been ringing you but nobody's answered." she gave Juniper an appraising look before releasing a disdainful sniff, "Then, I suppose you were _busy_ doing..." she paused and speared Juniper another look, "other things to answer the phone."

He rolled his eyes and was about to correct her when Juniper tittered out a quick laugh, "So what if he was? Men are supposed to busy themselves _doing_ things." his mother stared blankly at her, unable to tell if she was telling the truth or not when the younger blonde leaned closer to the older one and continued with a whisper, "He does rather well at _doing_ those things, too."

Her nearly choked on his tongue before managing to give a strangled laugh that sounded nervous and guilty even to his own ears despite not having done anything to be guilty over. "Yep, those Thneeds don't knit themselves, you know... Gotta keep up with the demand and all that."

"Yep, it's very demanding." Juniper grinned innocently and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Poor Oncie just didn't get a wink of sleep last night over it."

That was an out right lie and as his mother's face slowly turned red he sighed and gave up, apparently Juniper could handle her own and didn't mind playing dirty to get the reaction she wanted. He felt Juniper wrap herself around his arm and could stop the damning grin from covering his face even as his mother's face turned from red to purple.

He was going to die, but at least it'd be with a beautiful girl on his arm pressing herself as tightly to it as humanly possible.

His mother came close to vibrating before, suddenly, she burst into a large smile that shocked him to his core. The immediate transformation from brimming with suppressed rage to couldn't be happier if a thousand shoes rained from the sky was a new one that he'd never seen before. "Well he's such a good boy, I suppose he does need time to himself so that he can do what he wants when he's got time to relax."

Juniper stared at his mother openly before giving a laugh and shooting him a confused look. He shrugged and her eyes darted back to the other woman and giving her a cautious smile, "I agree completely, that's why we're on a date right now..." she trailed off and gave a deep nod, dropping the hint like an atom bomb on an ant hill.

His mother let it sail right over her head without messing a single hair, "Oh really? Well isn't that just the sweetest thing, where are you heading?"

His eyes widened, he knew that tactic. She'd used it on both Chett and Bret when they'd tried to sneak out of the house to take their girlfriends to the movies when they were in high school. She had ended up going getting a dinner and a movie while 'chaperoning', he knew all about it because both men given him each painful detail with such description that he hadn't been surprised at all when both had locked themselves in their room to suffer the pain of being dumped alone the following day.

"We're getting ice creams." Juniper answered, her tone bright and unsuspecting.

His mother beamed, "Why I just love ice cream."

Juniper blinked and he suddenly felt both eyes on him and he wondered if it'd be too obvious to fake a heart attack. He couldn't tell his mother no after _already_ having inadvertently insulted her just the day before and avoiding her calls ever since, she'd never forgive him. He would hear about it for the rest of his life _if_ he was lucky enough for her to be willing to even speak to him again and any apology that he gave wouldn't change that fact.

It seemed that Juniper could either read his thoughts or just understood his situation and gave a slight sigh of defeat. "Would you like to join us, Mom?"

"Wait," Juniper blinked and looked at him in confusion before muttering something under her breath and giving his mother a large smile, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were his mother!" he felt the sharp stinging of being pinched on he inside of his elbow and belatedly realized Juniper hadn't already known that. "Well that just changes everything, yes, please have ice cream with us." the smile she had on her face was surgery sweet before she reached out a hand, "I'm Juniper."

* * *

It was his mother.

She had just made herself look and sound as slutty as possible in front of his mother. There was no recovering from that, was there? She felt stupid and small for treating the woman so terribly and mentally promised Once-ler that she would do everything within reason to make it up to him for treating her so shabbily... She didn't really regret it, though, and would remember that she'd basically been called a slut before acting like one... Still, though, it was his mother and even if she was a bitch Once-ler would undoubtedly play the loyal son; he seemed to be the type to cater to his loved ones.

The woman clasped her hands beside her cheek and smiled happily at her and Juniper felt her hopes raise a little, "Why, did you think I was someone else?" she gave a little giggle and fluttered her wrist at her, "Oh, no! Dear me, I'm far to old even if I wasn't; I'm his mother Isabella!"

Juniper couldn't believe her luck, the woman had not only misunderstood her reasoning but had been indirectly flattered by it. Smiling back at her Juniper shook her head quickly, "Oh no, you look so young!" the lie slid smoothly past her lips and she watched the woman blush happily at hearing it and felt herself nearly sag in relief.

Once-ler pulled his arm free and wrapped it around her shoulders, dragging her close to his side before offering his mother his other arm. His mother giggled again, taking his arm before smiling up at her son, "Oh, my we're going to have _so _much fun tonight, where are we going first?"

Juniper blinked just as Once-ler's arm jerked sharply at her neck and she gasped, the sudden force of it knocking her cleanly from her feet to slam her butt so hard in the ground. And if none of that had been ego shattering enough, she managed to bite the side of her tongue hard enough to draw blood. Too shocked to even blink she stared blankly ahead until a sudden jerk of her arm alerted her that Once-ler was trying to help her off her feet just a little to energetically.

Her head jerking painfully against her shoulder she cried out sharply and stumbled to her feet against Once-ler, groaning from suffering so much damage in the time it took a person to sneeze. She pushed away from him and rubbed her aching neck with both hands to keep herself from rubbing her butt in public. "Oh, my, a bit of a klutz, aren't you?" She heard a few chuckles and looked up to see that some people had stopped to watch the show and her face inflamed in anger and embarrassment.

"Juniper, I am _so_ sorry." Once-ler gasped, his hands reaching out to her as she glared at the ground, unable to tell if it had been intentional on his part for her previous mistreatment of his mother. When he touched her she jerked back slightly on reflect before shaking it off and looking at the pained look on his face.

She cleared her throat, "No, it's okay, should have... moved... faster." she held her hand out to him with a stiff smile that he sadly returned, entwining his fingers through hers loosely. She dusted her jeans off lightly before realizing he was waiting for her okay before walking, "Sorry, I'm ready." They resumed walking down the sidewalk and she started feeling guilty for her angry thoughts towards the slightly drooping man beside her so she brought her arm around to hug his harm lightly and rest her head against his shoulder. His fingers gave hers a light squeeze and she sighed a silent thank you at the unspoken forgiveness, by the time they had stepped inside and ordered their ice cream she felt back in high spirits.

"So Oncie's never said a thing about you, dear." His mother was saying, heaving a large sigh and giving her son a playful tisking sound, "And I only just spoke to you yesterday, Sweetie, you should have _said_ you made a new girlfriend." Once-ler tried to interrupt, she gave him credit for that, but his mother shushed him before he could even start, turning to look him in the eyes and saying in a dead serious tone, "Now don't you worry, I wouldn't dream of telling her anything you wouldn't _want_ her to know."

Juniper's eyes shot wide open at that and she looked at Once-ler, who seemed to have either not understood what his mother was saying or had chosen not to point it out and bring more attention to it. Either way it hardly mattered, did it? Was there something in his past that he wouldn't _want_ her to know? Or was she just being paranoid. Though she had to have known what it was in the past... Or future... alternate future, whatever the hell it was... She had to have accepted it and moved on, so it couldn't be so terrible, right?

She felt a dull headache start at her temples and licked her chocolate ice cream cone, looking outside the window and waving good bye to the short lived enthusiasm she'd managed to rebuild as she watched passerbys go about their daily lives.

* * *

Once-ler had no idea why, but when he looked back across the table after shutting his mother up Juniper was looking out the window hopelessly and waving at someone. He looked out, but didn't see anyone that she could be waving at and turned back to see her leaning on the table, licking at her ice cream quietly. "Well this is the quietest date I've ever seen!" his mother laughed and he felt the insane urge to strangle her, his fingers actually itched to do it.

He scratched his palm against the table and sighed, looking at his vanilla cone for a moment before abruptly leaning over to pluck Juniper's half eaten chocolate cone from her fingers and watching her reaction. For a moment he was afraid she wouldn't even realize the cone was missing, however when her pink tongue flicked out for another lick of he frozen treat and met only air instead her eyes fluttered to stare at her empty fingers for a split second before they spotted the missing treat in the wrong hand.

He lifted it up and pretended to inspect it before giving it a nice, long, slow lick and slipping it back between her fingers and smirking smugly at her. It was like he'd hit her 'off' switch, however, because she sat staring blankly at him long enough for the chocolate to start melting down her fingers. Even then she looked at the cone like it had completely morphed into something out of a science fiction film. "Don't worry, I don't have cooties." He promised her and his mother covered a laugh, making him want to strangle her again.

Juniper jumped, bringing wide eyes to stare at his for a flash of an instant before fixing her eyes at the window and keeping them glued in the same spot as she nervously ate her treat. He wasn't sure if he should be insulted or not, but she looked nearly ready to jump out of her skin and the more she stared out of the window the worse he felt. His mother had picked up a one-sided conversation with them both, not bothered at all that neither of them paid even the slightest attention; it was like she was the date assassin. You didn't even know she killed it until it was already dying before your eyes with no hope of reviving it.

His mother was the first to finish her cone but he didn't mind throwing the rest of his away at all and Juniper seemed to be in agreement despite not having managed to reach past the rim of her cake cone. When they left the shop he just wanted to take Juniper and return to the tent, he would try to take her out again later that week when he was sure his mother wouldn't be prowling around the streets in danger of tagging along again; however his mother had other plans and forced a movie onto them as well. A four hour long dramatization of the Whoville Mills travesty where two hundred men, women, and children died horrible diseased deaths from a poisonous gas that leaked out of their coal mine.

He looked at his watched and sighed, it was eight o' clock, the sun was lowering over the tall walls of the town, and he and Juniper would have to walk most of the way back to his tent in the dark. "Well I don't know about you kids, but I had so much _fun_ today!" his mother clapped her hands happily and shook her head, "If only you had smiled a little more, Jennifer."

"It's Ju-" His mother reached up and kissed his cheek before he could finish correcting her and had taken off down the sidewalk at a brisk pace without even a thanks and he sighed. Stuffing his hands in his pockets and chancing a look at the depressed looking girl standing beside him, rubbing her temple with one hand and her neck with the other with a slight pained look on her face.

He couldn't even think up a decent apology and wanted to travel back in time and urge his past self to forget about the ice cream, that it wasn't worth it. Or to have just said 'no' to his mother, would it have been so bad? Was it a terrible thought that he was _thankful_ she had no where else to go and wouldn't find _himself_ locked in his office to morn a breakup before there was even been a relationship?

He crossed an arm over his chest and pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing deeply and trying to come up with something to say to make her _not_ hate him before just stepping over to wrap his arms around her wilted body and hugging her close. "I'll do better next time." he promised and she nodded her head, wrapping her arms around his back silently.

When they started their way back he kept his arm around her shoulder and kept her arm around his waist by tucking her hand in his and hooking his thumb in his belt loop. They'd made it fifteen minutes out of town when he felt her steps become uneven and thought back to the fall at the beginning of the date when his mother had pulled his arm so hard that he hadn't been able to free Juniper from his hold in time.

Feeling like more of an ass than Melvin he knelt in front of her and offered his back, and when she took it at the first offer he felt worse, wondering just when it was that she first started hurting. He looped his arms around her legs and hoisted himself up, using more force than necessary for the second time that day as he stumbled into a walk. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing that Juniper had prepared herself for a rough start and managed to save herself from being painfully jostled against his back.

He stared at the ground ahead of him, walking the road with care, when his hat was removed and he felt the warm press of her lips at his temple, "Thanks for the ice cream, Once-ler."

Not knowing why she was thanking him for her ruined ice cream he gave her a puzzled glimpse and her eyes danced with amusement, the slightest of smiles partially hidden behind one of her hand as her cheek rested against his shoulder. He gave her an answering smile, though, and decided not to question his luck too deeply. "Next time we'll go bowling, my mother hates breaking her nails."

* * *

Once-ler's back felt firm and warm against her chest and she gratefully tucked her chin into his shoulder as she enjoyed her piggy back ride back to his camp. The forest came into view and she sighed in relief as they drew near enough to see the camp sight after putting the last large hill behind their backs. Seeing the cloth rooftop must have inspired him to walk faster, his long legs covering the distance in a matter of moments and soon they were in the tent and she was slipping off his back and onto his mattress. "Welcome back, you two have a good time getting your six hour ice cream?"

Looking around Once-ler she seen the Lorax rifling through his fridge, his furry orange butt waving in the air as he hummed himself a tune and brought out the fixings of a cheese sandwich. Once-ler gave a dry laugh in response before flopping down beside her and covering his eyes with his arm, his hat falling back to lay at an odd angle between his head and the blankets. "Could have been a little better." he admitted.

She leaned over and freed his fedora before it could end up forgotten and crushed and put it on her head, shrugging, "Yeah, the four hour movie with the dying children kind of put a damper on my mood, too." she admitted, crossing her legs beside him and running fingers through his hair. The springy threads of it slid through to tickle against her palm before settling back in place against is forehead no matter how many times she smoothed it back and she secretly enjoyed how his eyes closed and he gave a little humming sound that reminded her of a purring cat.

The Lorax stopped making his sandwich and looked at Once-ler incrediously, "You took your date to watch a bunch of kids die?"

Once-ler's eyes popped open and he sat up quickly, "I did not!" he defended himself before pausing and giving a slight shift of his shoulders, "Well, I hadn't intended to." the dark green eyes of the forest guardian continued to gaze at him in amused shock and Once-ler continued, "We stopped by to pick up some clothes for Juniper and was on our way to the ice cream shop when we happened to get spotted by my mother half a block away it."

He shuddered at the memory and Juniper gave a bitter laugh, rubbing her probably multicolored bottom through her jeans as she remembered the mortifying accident and Once-ler gave the Lorax a blow by blow description of it to the point that when the Lorax turned pitying eyes to her she couldn't do anything but tilt her shoulders, "Not my finest moment." she admitted.

* * *

After telling all Once-ler shook his head and stretched his probably aching back miserably as the Lorax chuckled like he'd just heard one fantastically told joke, which he technically had, she supposed. Apparently he completely understood her reaction to the wonderfully licked cone and she blushed as the memory filled her head again with the teasing grin and mischievous eyes and had to shake her head to chase the picture away. "The ice cream was the best part." she assured her new fuzzy friend with a large smile and he howled with laughter at Once-ler's confused expression.

"Yeah, I bet it was." The Lorax joked, turning back to his sandwich and slapping the cheese between the bread before putting the slices of bread together and taking a large bite, "Well I'm out, see you idiots later." he started walking for the door, not bothering to explain anything to them as he opened it before pausing, "Hey, do me a favor and put that stuff away?"

The door closed before either could answer and she quickly slipped off the bed to put the remaining bread and cheese away before Once-ler could. Her hip hurt a little, but it was finally starting to fade after the long break off of it and she felt a little bad for having ended up on his back the entire walk back. She put the cheese back into the fridge and walked back to where he was watching her with tired eyes and a sad bend of his shoulders. "I _am_ sorry, Juniper." he finally stated as she crawled onto the bed and sat behind him.

She got to her knees and firmly smoothed her hands from his neck to his elbows before letting her fingers rub small circles at the base of his neck, "Don't worry about, Once." she soothed, smiling as he leaned into her fingers, "I heard that bad first dates makes for a fantastic second, or something like that, so we should be happy about it, right?" he did his baby kitten impersonation and she grinned, scooting back a bit as he leaned against the pressure of her fingertips.

It wasn't until she had sandwiched herself between him and the headboard that she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and let him cuddle against her with a deep and contented sigh that she wrapped her arms and legs around his chest and stomach and snuggled him back that she felt his hands smooth lightly over her her wrists to rest over her own. "Probably not fair to get a shoulder massage after giving you the worst date of your life, but I'm not letting you take it back."

She laughed, "How would I take a shoulder massage back?" she teased before giving him a light squeeze and removing herself from around him. She made to move before she felt his arms slip around her stomach and bring her against his chest; she let herself receive the tight hug from between his knees before wiggling away and standing up. She walked back over to his fridge and peeked inside, finding nothing but vegetables, what looked like chicken but she highly suspected was fish for some reason, and a hunk of red roast she hazarded to be beef.

She looked over at him, then pulled out the fish and a bag of carrots, "Where's your potatoes?" she asked, looking up to see him already wandering to a wooden box with a flap lid and extracting a small bag to carry to the table. He retrieved a knife from a drawer, sat, and started to peel the skins from the white meat under and she put the fish on the counter and took a knife from the drawer as well.

She was in the middle of her third carrot when she looked up and leveled him an apologetic look, "I'm afraid to say this, Once-ler, but I don't think I like your mother." he looked up at her and arched a brow so she continued, "She's evil."

For a moment she thought he would argue with her and thought about taking the words back, but then he gave a slow nod and shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, she's not exactly at the top of my favorite people list, either." he muttered, finishing his fifth potato and reaching for a sixth before stopping and picking up a carrot instead. "How's your... Uh..." he thought for a moment before giving her a sly smile, "posterior?"

She snorted, standing up and gathering the peelings from the table to throw into his trash can, "Probably a greenish brown at this point, but I think I'll survive." she joked, she did a quick search for a chopping board, finding a nice wooden one hanging behind the stove, and took it back to quarter the carrots and potatoes on, "I don't even know how that happened, one second I'm congratulating myself on a lucky save, the next I'm the laughing stock of the park with an ego bruised almost as bad as my rump."

She looked up at him with a grin to see his eyes frowning at her so she gave him a laugh, "It's okay, I figured it was an accident-"

"Please don't say that was okay, because no matter how I look at it, it's not." He picked up the unused vegetables and put them away respectively before taking the knife from her hands and shouldering her out of the way to take over chopping. "If I knew she was going to pull me like that I would have just let go of you." he shook his head at the memory, "The way you spun around and just slammed on the ground like you'd been thrown, for a second there I thought you thought I did it on purpose."

She had, but she quickly laughed and shook her head, "Nah, must have been pretty funny though, I didn't know I spun." she thought for a moment before grinning again and shaking her head, "I can see why people were laughing now, how embarrassing."

* * *

She was lying, she had thought he'd done it on purpose and the knowledge was unsettling, but he shook the feeling off. What else was she supposed to think after being thrown to the ground without even a warning? He thought back to the unset look she'd given him, a confused glare that nearly screamed 'what was that for?' that had been followed by a simple acceptance. His stomach churned and he pushed away from the table to retrieve a clean pan from a cabinet that she scooped the vegetables into and brought to the sink to rinse off.

She was laying the fish on top of the carrots and potatoes when he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you." he promised her.

She paused and looked up at him like she was surprised at the suggestion before sighing and shaking her head, "I didn't think you did it with the intention of hurting me, Once-ler." she told him flatly, "To be honest, I didn't really blame you at all, I did my best to infuriate that woman when she came up to us before I found out she was your mom and I know how some men can be when it comes to their family."

She made to put he pan onto the counter but Once-ler's long arms locked her in place and she looked up at him to see him frowning silently out the window before he released her and took the pan from her fingers. "We're going out again, I'll hitch up Melvin and we'll ride to town." he decided with a single jerk of his head and she laughed. When his eyes swung to meet hers she giggled again and shook her head, taking the pan back and slipping around him to set it onto the counter and tuck the fish under the carrot slices and cut potatoes. "Just put that in the fridge, we can have it tomorrow."

She shook her head, "Just sit down and play me something on your guitar, we can eat it outside." she told him, pointing at the table casually before spotting a small basket of onions and pulling one out to peel and slice over the top of the fish. There wasn't any celery, so after spicing it she preheated the oven and turned to see him moping behind her as if she'd just kicked his puppy.

"It'll be fun." He said hopefully, a large hand coming up to rub the back of his neck as he stared at the floor between them.

She went over and pushed him roughly onto the ground, shocking him enough to have receive a wide-eyed look of disbelief. "We're even, now stop sulking and start looking forward to the rest of our evening where your kind, beautiful, and fantastic date cooks you the greatest meal you'll ever eat and will never forget."

He blinked at her in surprise before a slow smile took over his face and, an hour later with a plate full of burnt vegetables and dry fish before him, had to struggle to not laugh at the near devastated look on her face. She could see his shoulders shake from the amount of effort it took for him to keep his laughter contained enough that only a large, tight lipped smile covered his face.

Once-ler picked up his fork and speared a bit of everything onto his fork, stuffing it in his mouth and chewing the rubbery fish slowly and looked up at the night time stars over head and she looked down at her own plate shaking her head, "Sorry, I was a little too optamisic about cooking something I've never made before." she muttered.

He shrugged, "The texture might leave something to be desired, but the flavor is unforgettable." he soothed and she smiled happily, taking a bite of her own only to gag on reflex. It took several attempts to swallow, and even then she had to wait a moment to be sure it wasn't going to make a round trip before staring at him. It wasn't even edible!

He took another bite, giving her a slow smile from around his fork and she laughed, leaning against his arm as she poked at the disgusting food he was managing to choke down without even a finch. "You're a determined man, Once, I'll give you that."

* * *

Authors Note: I'm deeming this good enough to read because it's already a day late and I'm so tired of rewriting it that it's not funny so I'm not all that picky. I hope you enjoyed it, I know there's some parts that made me laugh that I hope made you at least grin.


	9. Chapter 9

Falling Deep: Whatever it Takes

Authors Note: I just realized his eyes are blue... his eyes are blue... His _god damn _eyes are _blue_! (Yeah, that's right, I just worked a Jim Carrey quote into the Lorax, how'd you like that? Not my first one, either, you'll have to take a gander and if you find it I'll give you a beautiful gold ribbon that I'll hang on my wall in your honer.) But yes, the Once-ler's eyes are actually a grayish blue color and I'll have to fix that. It's a small error, though, so I'm not going to worry about it for now.

* * *

The next day Once-ler awoke with Juniper's soft body snuggled tightly to his, her head resting lightly his shoulder with her arm across his back, and felt that he could afford some extra time in bed; so when someone decided to knock on his door insistently he wasn't surprised at all when he wasn't able to. He tried to ignore it at first, however the knock only got louder and he heaved a sigh before carefully untangling himself and slipping off the mattress.

Scratching the back of his head tiredly he gave a large yawn and opened his door to see the near over-joyed face of his mother beaming back at him like she hadn't ruined his entire date last night, "Oncie, did I wake you up? I'm sorry, I certainly didn't mean to, I just wanted to make sure Heather made it home safely, she is a bit of a scatter brain, isn't she?"

He narrowed his eyes and squinted at her in confusion before he realized she meant Juniper and sighed, "Her name isn't Heather, Mom." he told her dryly, "It's Juniper."

"Yes, yes, Jennifer. I remember now! I knew it ended with an er!" She gave him a large smile and he wondered if she wasn't getting the name wrong on purpose, "A bit spacey, isn't she?" he shook his head and opened his mouth to correct her but she carried on before he could get a word out, "Well she's definitely a _quiet_ one, didn't say a word the whole evening no matter how many times I tried to start a conversation." she paused dramatically, putting a finger against the corner of her lips in consideration, "Or maybe she just didn't like me, you know, that was _probably_ it."

She pushed herself through the threshold of the tent and looked around before her eyes landed on the sleeping topic of her conversation laying in his bed. Tutting she walked over to stand next to the mattress and turned to him, her arms crossed over her chest and a sharp look of disapproval etched into her face, "What is this?"

"That's a bed." He answered a little sarcastically, "Lower your voice, we were up late last night and I'm letting her sleep in since-" his mother tore the blankets off the bed and Once-ler stared in horror as Juniper was shocked awake, her hands pushing against the soft padding of the bed sharply enough that he flinched when she rolled off and hit the floor with a pained yelp followed by a agonized groan.

Running around to the other side of the bed he hurriedly helped her to her feet with an arm around her waist and a firm grip on her hand, "My mother dropped by for a visit." he muttered to her, helping her move her tangled hair from her face enough so that he could see her face. She sighed and nodded before walking into the kitchen to make coffee, not bothering to give the older woman any attention aside from a quick nod of greeting.

His mother returned the nod, then once Juniper's back was turned arched an eyebrow at him. He shook his head and stared at the woman dumbly before realizing she wanted an explanation of why Juniper had been sleeping in his bed. Thankfully, it seemed that his mother realized he hadn't understood the mental questioning and turned her attention from him to the blonde standing in front of his sink with a carafe under the running tap.

"Jennifer! It's such a surprise seeing you here, darling!" His heart sank to his stomach as Juniper turned to look at the smiling older woman with a fixed look of aggravation, "Not much of a morning person, are you? Well we'll have to fix that because, as every successful person knows, the day starts at six o' clock!"

Juniper's poker-face didn't ease an inch, "The good shows don't start until eight, though." she answered, her voice dead serious as she turned the water off and poured it into the back of the coffee pot and putting the carafe under the dripper to collect the brewed liquid before turning to sit at the table.

His mother watched her blankly, then turned strict eyes at Once-ler and tapped her foot impatiently for something. This time he knew what she wanted, though, and didn't plan on giving it to her; he was _not_ going to tell Juniper off for her casual disregard of the woman. Nor was he going to insist that she start getting up earlier than he did just because his mother wanted her to, either; for all he cared Juniper could completely reverse her days and her nights and he'd happily go along with the decision. The tapping foot somehow managed to click against the bottom of the tent and he firmly shook his head to show that there was no speech that would come from him.

"Well then I'll do it." His mother snapped, turning around to level a glare at the uncaring woman at his table, "You will not be laying about this house until the odd hours of the afternoon! Oncie's not going to support your lazy behavior and he will not-"

"Listen lady, you're going to back the hell off me or have me all over you if you don't shut the hell up and wait for me to have my coffee." Juniper suddenly growled, her dark eyes spearing into his shocked mother with a frosty glare. His mother gaped at her and Juniper smirked meanly, "Yeah that's right, now behave like a decent human being and let me wake up in peace."

The complete and utter silence was only broken by the sound of the door opening and closing as the Lorax let himself in, "Don't know if you know this, Beanpole, but you've got neighbors." the Lorax said before his eyes spotted his mother standing near the table and gave an unamused chuckle before going to the table and pulling himself up the chair, "That coffee I'm smelling, Doll-Face?"

Juniper nodded and Once-ler turned to see his mother practically boiling over with rage and cleared his throat loudly to bring her attention from the duo sitting at the table back to him. "You moved in?" he asked conversationally, his hands coming to rest at his hips and giving her a nervous smile, "Well isn't that peachy?"

She sniffed, "Well I have to make sure my wonderful baby doesn't get taken advantage of by _unwelcome_ trash."

His stomach clinched at that and he crossed his arms and snorted, "You don't have to worry about that, Mother, there's nobody around me that could be considered as '_trash_'."

"I can think of one." The Lorax pipped up and Juniper covered her face to hide the grin Once-ler knew she was giving the forest guardian. Once-ler frowned and shook his head warningly and the orange fuzz ball gave a shrug, "Just saying..."

"I'm not going to stand here and be insulted and threatened by two mooches without a penny to their name; tell me, are you enjoying _my_ son's coffee?" The smirk on her face was enough to let him know that she'd gone past the point of coming back.

Juniper slammed her cup down and stood up with so much force that the chair she'd sat on was knocked back to the floor, "No, actually, because I haven't _had_ any yet, which is a shame because I _told_ you that you needed to back off or have me jumping down your god awful throat until _after_ I had a cup." she snapped back viciously while striding over to his mother. "You're from a whole other _planet_ if you think I'm going to be bullied by some _hag_ that likes to walk around with _animal corpses_ thrown around her neck!"

He quickly stepped between the two furious women and gazed pleadingly at Juniper, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders to smooth down her arms until he got to her wrists and held on. The Lorax hooted at the table, shouting encouraging words and a few suggestions to Juniper and Once-ler shot him an aggravated look before dragging the girl into his arms and bringing her to face his mother, "Mom, you can't come in here and act like this to my friends, Juniper lives here so it's _her_ coffee too."

His mother glared at him before heaving a heavy sigh and shaking her head, "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm just not approving of this lazy, lewd, violent man-woman." Once-ler returned the glare and pulled Juniper back as she made to reach for his mother; the older woman rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Okay, fine, I'll _tolerate_ her until you're done with her _if_ I must, but don't say I didn't warn you. I just wanted to come by and tell you the good news. Chett and Brett just finished setting up the RV and I'm only a few feet away if you need me and everyone's excited to help you become rich and famous!"

"But we're the one's out to use him, huh?" The Lorax snarked from his seat and Juniper gave a pleased grin at his words. The coffee pot beeped, signaling the end of the brewing process, and he let the blonde in his arms go so that she could get a much needed mug of the strong brew.

His mother huffed at the duo before turning to Once-ler with a disapproving shake of her head, "You can come by and visit any time you need to dear, if you just feel the need to get away." she offered him nicely before spinning on her heals and leaving the tent.

* * *

Juniper wanted to slam the woman on the ground and repeatedly jump on her until no other sounds came from the woman except for maybe a splish or a splash. Instead, she settled for listening to the coffee splash into the three waiting cups that she'd lined up on the counter for Once-ler, Fuzz-Ball, and herself. Pouring milk into two of the cups and adding sugar to all she served them out and retook the seat that Once-ler picked up for her.

Not even her _own_ mother had called her trash, and she knew how to throw out some insults that would make a weaker person seek mental health for the next few years of their lives. It was about the only thing she'd never been called, as a matter of fact, and it infuriated her that someone dared to even think of throwing the words at her. She seen Once-ler sit at the spot where she'd set his coffee, his face tensed with worry lines marking his brow and rolled her eyes to the Lorax who shrugged looked into his cup like it contained the mysteries of the universe.

"I'm sorry I threatened your mom." She sighed, looking at him and trying to put a sincere look on his face. It must have failed because he turned his glare onto her and she bit her lip and picked her cup up, blowing against the hot liquid surface before tipping it for a sip and setting it back down. "Then how about, 'I won't do it again, even if she does deserves it'?" she tried.

Once-ler sighed and shook his head, "No, you don't have to apologize." putting his head in his hands he dragged his fingers over his face and scratched under his chin, "She's just worried about me and doesn't know you that well, she'll warm up to you in no time."

She nodded at him without believing his words whatsoever. The woman was a tricky as a fox and as cold as an ice cube and Juniper somewhat doubted that his mother would hold her tongue in any way, shape, or form at every opportunity that Once-ler wasn't around to witness it. The Lorax gave her a knowing look and she shrugged, there wasn't anything she could do about it except keep in mind her promise to the stressed man sitting beside he, looking at her with a slight grin on his face and waiting for her to agree with him.

"Sure thing, Once, I'm sure we'll be the _bestest_ of friends!" He frowned at her words but she managed to keep the smile on her face until he nodded and left to get dressed in the bathroom. She looked over at the Lorax and snorted, "Wanna make friends with the dead thing around her neck?" she asked morbidly.

"I already have, his name's Bill." She gaped at him, her mouth going slack as she pictured him standing on a rock and having a nice chat with a happily smiling dead Bill. "I'm kidding!"

She groaned and looked in her cup, "Don't do that to me, it puts strange pictures in my head that won't leave." she mumbled and the Lorax laughed again. Looking up she gave him a sardonic look before sighing and looking down at her own coffee, tapping the cup to watch the ripples bounce against the glass. She was only running on her second day in Once-ler's world, and half of that time had sleeping with the other half split between confusion and torture.

The simple truth of the matter was that she was following whatever her instinct told her to do up until that point without thinking twice on the matter; a continuing problem she'd had ever since she could remember. That obviously wasn't going to work any longer, not with Once-ler's mommy dearest getting ready to wage a war that Juniper wasn't entirely sure she could fight without losing the man himself.

She finished her coffee off and had her cup refilled before Once-ler came back from the bathroom wearing a clean set of clothes when there was another knock on the door. Juniper jumped up before he could answer it and retreated into the bathroom; hiding was the cowards way out, but it was better than having to hear insults and nasty implications that she'd hear otherwise. Shutting the toilet bowl she used it as a chair and propped her chin up on her fists, prepared to wait for however long it took until she was sure the woman was gone.

* * *

Once-ler frowned when Juniper suddenly ran for the bathroom and looked to see The Lorax shaking his head before opening the door and greeting the smallish man that stood at his door with a flat look and an arched eyebrow. The man smiled nervously and licked his lips, "Yes, I'd like three Thneeds, please." he held out a fist full of bills and Once-ler took the money before walking to the closet and pulling out the top three from one of the stacks when the man cleared his throat. "Um, a yellow, blue, and orange, if you don't mind, they're for my children's birthday or I wouldn't be so bothersome."

Shrugging, Once-ler dug about until he could find the colors and walked them to the door to hand them to the man who immediately thanked him and ran off. Shutting the door he turned to see if Juniper was alright in the bathroom when the door opened and she strolled back to the table, giving him a smile as she passed him to her chair.

Giving her an odd look he retook his spot at the table and tested his coffee, scrunching his face when the now cold liquid hit his top lip. The Lorax laughed and Juniper pulled the cup from his hands to dump out and refill before handing it back to him with an amused smile of her own and he thanked her with a grateful breath and hoped she realized it was for more than just the coffee.

The rest of the morning went smoothly after that as the three enjoyed the coffee and conversation until the Lorax wandered off leaving him and Juniper to themselves to observe his family and make sure they didn't cause to much damage in his forest. Once-ler considered the girl across from him for a moment, watching as she reached for the empty cups on the table and carried them to the sink. "You're being kind of quiet." he observed out loud.

She gave a slight shrug and returned to the table, "Rough morning." she jokingly reminded him; he nodded slowly in agreement at the understatement. She shifted in her seat and studied her nails before looking up at him, "So besides sitting at your table drinking coffee, is there anything else we can do?"

He shrugged, "Well I would usually sit on my bed or the couch and knit Thneeds all day so I could stay ahead of the demand, but with my family here helping out that should free up some time." he thought for a moment, leaning back in his chair, before shrugging; "Want to explore the forest? I haven't really went all that deep into it so I don't really know what's out there to see, but it could be fun right?"

As Juniper changed out of the purple and green kitty pajamas he'd loaned her his mother knocked on his door and invited herself in, "Oncie, sweetie, I was just thinking that-" she paused and looked around his tent, clearly searching for the girl before smiling happily, "you could maybe open up a small shop in town to sell your Thneeds in, that way you won't have to be bothered each time someone from town wants to buy one from you. Isn't that a great idea?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, it is, but I'll need a lot more Thneeds to fill it up with-"

"Well that's why you make a factory, dear." She tutted through a large smile, shaking her head with a light giggle, "You don't want to be trapped in the house knitting Thneeds all day, do you?" he shook his head and she reached over to tug his vest down and smooth his hair back, "It's unhealthy for a man your age to be inside all day, after all!"

He frowned and thought about it, a small factory couldn't hurt anything and it would free up a lot more of time that he could use getting to know Juniper more. "I'll start drawing up the plans later this evening then-"

"No, no, no!" She wagged her finger in his face and pushed him towards the back of the tent where his office was, "If you want to be successful then you can't procrastinate, sweet heart, you go and do it now."

"I'm taking Juniper hiking in the woods when she gets out of the bathroom, Mom, I'll do it later." He stated firmly, "It's not going to be built today anyways, so waiting a few hours isn't going to hurt anything."

At the mention of Juniper's name she huffed and gave him a hard look, "You have no idea how _disappointing_ it is to see you putting your business on the back burner for a girl you hardly even know. I thought you were serious about this, but if this is just a side hobby for you-"

"It's not a 'side hobby'." He denied and she gave a disbelieving laugh, "I've already sold Thneeds to nearly everyone in town multiple times over."

His defense went to deaf ears, though, and she pressed her index and middle finger to her temple, "It's times like these that you remind me of your father; always with the big ideas but never able to follow through and make anything of himself." he flinched, looking away from her to stare at the door behind her. "If he had put _effort_ to his projects, if he would have just _stuck_ with them, we might have been able to afford the treatment he needed." her voice trembled a bit and she coughed to cover over it as she always did when speaking of his father. "At least a proper burial with a real minister instead of _Uncle_ _Ubb_."

"I'll start drawing up the plans now, then, shall I?" He could take Juniper out afterward with plenty of time to spare, after all. She wouldn't mind waiting just a bit and his mother was so upset now that she had tears pooling in the corners of her eyes that threatened to spill over to her cheeks.

She gave a great sniff and dug a tissue from her purse, dabbing her eyes with the disposable cloth and nodding in relief, "You're such a _good_ boy, Oncie." reaching up she gently padded his cheek and turned to leave, pausing briefly at the door to look back at him and smile before slipping back outside.

It wasn't but a handful of seconds when Juniper came out of the bathroom, dressed in her old clothes with her shoes held loosely by her side, lifting them to playfully jiggle them at him, "I figured it could be a shoes optional affair." she joked, looking down at his shoes and mockingly shaking her head until she seen his face, "Is something wrong?"

Once-ler started to shake his head before stopping himself, "Actually, it turns out that I have to draw up some plans for a factory." she tilted her head forward slowly, her smile dimming slightly and he grinned at her, "But as soon as I'm done I'll give the plans to mom and we can head out."

Juniper nodded, her smile widening just a little to much as she walked over and put her shoes beside the door, "Well if we're going to wait then it'll give me time to make us something to eat while we're out."

"That's the spirit!"

* * *

Juniper sighed as she watched the stew come to a simmer and looked at the clock hanging near the stove and then over to the closed off room that Once-ler had locked himself in for the past few hours, wondering if he wasn't just avoiding the hike. Maybe he actually disliked going out into the forest and had only suggested it thinking she'd dislike it as well? Or maybe his devil mother had convinced him that she was too far below him to be taken seriously and was just trying to think up an excuse good enough to get her to leave.

The stew finished, she turned it off and placed a heavy glass lid over the pan and looked around for something else to occupy her time with. She seen the knitting needles, guitar, and the television set that was so rarely used that a thick layer of dust had covered the screen. She frowned and ran the tip of her finger over it, tracing little swirls into the dust before deciding that dusting was probably her best option of staying productive if not entertained. Every surface she could find got a stiff wipe down with a damp cloth, from the television to the shelves and the nicknacks upon them; and once she was finished with that she looked up at the clock, it had taken her less than an hour.

Figuring she might as well keep cleaning since she'd already started she tried to sweep without getting the dirt from the floor onto the freshly dusted surfaces and grinned in triumph when she finished before running a mop across it as well. Her effort only cost fifteen minutes, though, and soon she gave up waiting inside and gathered the dirty clothes from the bathroom to take to the river to wash.

It didn't take long for her to spot Once-ler's family, though thankfully it was only two men busily tossing Pipsqueak around like a football. She watched in various stages of shock before she dropped the clothes in her arms and running over to catch the poor bear in her arms and set him on the ground. He gave her a thankful maw before running off into the safety of the forest, leaving her to deal with the two smiling men whom she regarded with no small amount of wariness.

"Are you Jizzabell?" One asked, coming up and looking at her closely before turning to the second and shaking his head stupidly, "Well I don't think you're ugly at all!" she arched an eyebrow at that, sure that she hadn't asked his opinion, but decided not to bother worrying about it. No doubt devil mommy told the rest of Once-ler's family that she was a greedy, ugly, stupid, troll woman after her baby's money.

The second one came up and she realized they were identical, "Wow, you're really pretty!" he grinned and crossed his arms over his chest and she blinked at him in surprise, "You could be a model, did mom catch you without any makeup on or something?"

"I don't wear makeup." she shrugged and he gaped at her before laughing and slapping his leg so hard that she hurt for him and rubbed her own thigh to chase away the phantom pain. "Your mother doesn't like me very much." That made both men laugh so hard that they bent over in half holding their stomach and she rolled her eyes, "It's not that funny."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you heard half the things we have." One stated and she huffed and crossed her arms angrily, "No, we didn't believe them so don't be angry with us over it." he defended, waving both hands in front of his chest as though it would ward away any misdirected rage she might throw at him.

Giving up on the conversation she turned and went to gather the clothes from where she'd dropped them when both men sprinted ahead and picked them up for her, each with a happy smile on their face, "Oh, thanks." Juniper held her arms out but they clung to the clothes. After an awkward moment she let her hands drop to her sides and chewed the inside of her cheek before sighing, "Would you two like to come-"

"Sure would!" They both answered quickly and felt a reluctant smile tug her lips at their eagerness, she'd never met two people so willing to wash laundry in a river and the second one laughed, "We were bored anyway, Mom told us to stay out of her hair for a while and you let our football get away, so we can't really play that anymore."

"That wasn't a football that was a living animal that's probably scarred for life over that." She corrected as she walked around them both towards the river a short distance away; they followed close behind until they were on either side of her. "I'm Brett, that's Chett; we're Once-ler's older brothers." the first one said, giving her a playful shove with his shoulder into the one named Chett, who grinned and shoved her back into Brett.

She bounced two more times before she finally broke down and laughed as she avoided another shove, "Knock that off I'm not a replacement bear to throw around." she chided, putting a fist on her hip and jabbing a finger at them in mock anger.

"Could prob'ly toss you around like one, though." Chett teased and both men started laughing as they came up to the river and dropped the clothes onto the bank, "Wanna try, Brett?"

Juniper wasted no time whatsoever jumping into the safety of the water before either could snatch her up and throw her to the other, "That's _not_ going to happen."

"It _could_ happen once, right?" Chett gave a wink to his brother and bent over to roll his pant legs up to his knees and Brett gave a wide grin before doing the same and Juniper stared wide eyed as they prepared to chase her down in the water and took several steps back.

Thankfully she seen Once-ler walking up with a slight frown of what she took as worry on his face and gave a large smile, her arm going over her head to wave at him and Brett looked over his shoulder. "You don't think he's going to save you?" he snorted and elbowed Chett, "Go get him."

Chett laughed and turned towards his younger brother who suddenly stopped and stared wide eyed as the older man started running at full speed straight for him. "Ohhh, that's going to hurt." Juniper muttered as she watched in horrified fascination as Once-ler turned on his heal to run the opposite direction.

"Yeah, we use to do this to him all the time." Once-ler dodged his older brother, turning to keep his eyes on him for an instant before running the other way, "He's got a lot better since when he was a kid, I can tell you that right now." she looked at Brett as he slapped his thigh and laughed, reminding her of a 'good ol' boy' ranch hand from out of an old western.

Chett dove for Once-ler who managed to quickly dance out of his grasp and Juniper cheered at the spectacular feint, her hands clapping loudly as she shouted out encouragement. Once-ler looked at her like she'd lost her mind, which she admitted might have been a possibility, but only had enough time to scowl before he had to start running again.

Deciding that he must be annoyed that she wasn't trying to help him she quietly made her way back to the shore and snatched up the pair of pants he'd loaned her and dragged them below the waters surface. Once she was sure they were completely drenched she lobbed them at the back of Brett's head, crowing with victory loudly enough for Chett and Once-ler to stall their game of tag to see what had happened.

Slowly Brett turned to face her, looking as though he were too shocked for words to describe, before hauling ass into the water after her. Her eyes widened and her victory shout turned into a squeal as she tried to run to the bank without letting him catch her, which she only managed to do because Chett gave out a surprised cry that drew Brett's attention long enough to see what had happened.

When a long arm reached out for her she laughed and grabbed for it without second thought, turning to flash a victory sign to Brett as Once-ler nearly fell on her from exhaustion, "Sorry boys, but this is our win."

* * *

He couldn't breath, his chest hurt, and he was sure he'd sprained both ankles several time over, but as Juniper helped him sit on the bank of the river with a smile that made her eyes sparkle he felt himself relax. Brett and Chett were laughing with her, coming up to fall to the ground near them and he nodded at them, "Hi guys." he managed to squeeze out between breaths, lifting a tired arm to wave at them.

Chett lifted an arm and Brett grinned, "Sounding a little winded there, Oncie." he said instead of a greeting and Once-ler laughed, nodding his head in agreement as he wiped sweat off his brow with his sleeve. Honestly, if Juniper hadn't stupidly put herself in the dangerous path of a wedgie from hell he probably would have failed in his escape; as it was he still wasn't sure how he'd managed to get the guts to actually grab Chetts face and push him down into the grass.

"Didn't get caught, did I?" He finally asked, watching as Juniper folded her legs and ignored her weak protests as he used her lap for a head rest, the cold wet cloth of the jeans felt fantastic against his over-heated neck and he sighed.

Chett guffawed and Once-ler lazily kicked at him without looking to see if his foot went anywhere near his target, "Aren't you two too old to be torturing me like this?"

"Yep." Brett answered and Once-ler rolled his eyes, unintentionally catching Juniper's in the process, he shook his head and she laughed. "So mom said you're going to build a factory, huh?"

"Yep." Once-ler answered mockingly, laughing when he felt one of his brothers kick his foot, "I finished before coming out here to lure Goldilocks out into the enchanted forest." his heart still pounded in his chest and he shook his head, "But I'm to tired to move so she has to wait. It's your fault, I will take none of the blame."

"Oh, well now one of you has to die." Juniper stated flatly, her eyes darting between the two as if she were deciding which to get first, "Probably you Brett, sleep well tonight."

Brett grinned at her, "So you're saying you're planning on creeping into my room?" he shot her a broad smile, "You might want to bring protection."

Once-ler's made sure to sit up long enough to make sure his kick landed right where he wanted it to before letting his head flop back into Junipers lap as Chett howled with laughter at his twins suffering. Hopefully the man didn't need to be kicked twice in the same place before he learned just how far Once-ler was willing to let him go.

Which wasn't very damn far.

"So you're finished with the factory plans, then?" she asked, beaming down at him when he nodded to the point that it was obvious she'd spent the past few hours of waiting impatiently. "I made stew to take with us, it's on the stove ready and waiting; I thought we could bring bread and eat it in place of sandwiches."

"You made him stew? What kind?" Chett asked and Once-ler groaned, "Don't be selfish, Once, I want some stew."

He would have told him to stuff it if it hadn't been for the fact that none of them were all to use to actual home cooking. He looked up at Juniper who thought for a moment, "Well there's plenty to go around, but I want something in exchange for the hike this is going to cost me."

Curious about her price but unwilling to share the information with his bothers he winked at her and put a finger to his mouth, pleased when she returned the gestures and got to his feet before reaching down to help her up. "Do. Not. Tell. Mom." he looked at his brother's seriously, "I don't want this to turn into a 'family supper'."

"Do we really look that stupid?" Chett asked, looking at Brett as though he were honestly curious. Juniper laughed and gave the boys a wave before collecting an arm full of laundry that had only become dirtier and returning to the tent. He watched her walk away and smugly stuffed his hands in his pockets and smirked at her older brothers only to the two men staring at him like he'd lost his mind.

"What?" he asked.

Brett and Chett shook their heads before shooting him a smirk, "Next time take a little longer in doing what mom tells ya." Brett told him.

Once-ler shot Chett a confused stare and his brother took only the slightest pity on him, "Gotta love those white t-shirts."

Once-ler felt his smile melt off his face as he looked back at his tent in time to see Juniper escape his sight and turned back to the two smirking twins, not believing just how lucky he'd gotten. His brothers laughed and he glared at them, tomorrow he would take Juniper clothes shopping and stuff that white shirt in a safe place where only he could get to it.

* * *

Authors Note: Okay I really like my Brett and Chett, I modeled their personalities after a set of identical twins I used to go to school with... Man those guys were so funny, and having band practice with them was unforgettable. If any of you have ever seen that kid show "A.N.T. Farm" (omg my daughter loves that show far to much) then try to picture that fuzzy haired guy.

Now picture two of him... There you have it.

Also, I checked this chapter three times for errors, I hope I found them all but if I haven't then you can tell me; it'd actually be a big help since I don't have a critter. Just make sure the chapter review is linked to the actual chapter where the mistake is so I don't have to search through nine chapters (or more); thanks. :D


	10. Chapter 10

Falling Deep: Whatever it Takes

Authors Note: o.o I stayed up until 1am because I was having to much fun writing to realize what time it was; but I just love this chapter so I don't regret it!

* * *

Juniper stood beside Once-ler as his mother sent in another parade of people wearing different suits and outfits; from causal to business and everything in-between, his wardrobe was about to get much, much larger. "You have to dress for success, Oncie, if you plan on being taken seriously." she was telling him now, walking up to a model and fixing his dark green tie, "I really like this one myself, it screams money, don't you think?"

Juniper snorted derisively, however once his mother had forced him to try the suit on she did have to admit that he looked really good in it. It clashed wonderfully with his eyes and hair and make him look suave and intense with sprinklings of dangerous; but she kept the compliments to herself so that his mother wouldn't hear her agree. "What do you think, Juniper?"

She bit her lip and glanced over at his smirking mother before sighing, "You do look really good, Once." she said lightly, walking up to him and smoothing the dark green pinstriped jacked over his chest and tilting to observe the wrinkles, "You should probably use a different fabric, though, this is already wrinkling."

At those words his mother pushed her out of the way and inspected the cloth before tutting and Juniper rolled her eyes and held her arms behind her back to keep from hitting the woman. The models seemed to understand and were sending her encouraging looks which she smiled in thanks for, it was always nice when a large group of attractive men agreed with her. "Stop flirting with the models." she heard his mother snap.

"I'm not flirting, hag." Juniper told her, smirking as the woman glared darkly at her and ignoring Once-ler's warning look; it was turning into part of her daily routine to call the woman at least three names a day, however her favorite by far was hag. It affected her greatly, her face would grow red and scrunch up like someone had shoved a rotten fish under her nose; much like she was doing now.

After another thirty minutes Once-ler had managed to increase the size of his wardrobe enough that she wasn't surprised when half of the suits failed to even fit in his closet, "I don't understand why you need that many of the same suit." Juniper shook her head and picked up one of the jackets, studying it closely, "I'm not seeing any difference between them."

The jacket was jerked out of her hands and once again laid on the mattress, "That's because you obviously don't have the sense of a worm when it comes to fashion." Isabella told her in a matter-of-fact tone that had her scowling at the woman, "For your information there's corduroy, cotton, silk, viro, and, well I won't waste my breath telling you the rest since you wouldn't be able to understand anyway." the older woman leveled a pitying look and shook her head, "For different seasons? This is something you should already know as a woman, has your mother taught you nothing?"

Juniper snorted, "She taught me how to fight, that's something." she answered, flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking away from the old bag before she could shoot another barb at her and gave Once-ler a narrowed eye look, warning him that if his mother continued talking about her's all previous agreements would be null.

"Don't talk about Juniper's mother that way, Mom, you don't even know the woman." Once-ler sighed, picking up one of the jackets himself and feeling the fabric before shrugging and putting it back, "And I think I'm going to agree with Juniper, there's no way that I'll even be able to wear half of these." Juniper nodded from the kitchen as she poured two glasses of tea from the fridge and brought it over to hand to him.

Isabella held her hand out for the second glass and Juniper chugged it before giving the woman a nice satisfied smile, wiping the liquid from her lips with the back of her hand, "Now that was refreshing."

"You're atrocious."

"And you're hideous."

Once-ler yelped and pulled Juniper away just as the woman's hand sailed through the air, missing the younger girls face by only a breath, "What are you doing?" he asked her, his eyes wide with shock, "You can't hit her!"

"Sure she can, she just won't like my reaction." Juniper growled, jerking herself out of Once-ler's hold and jabbing a finger into Isabella's face, "Mark my words now, _bitch_, if you ever do manage to hit me I will _beat_ you so bad a team of medical experts will have to send out your dental records for identification!"

She was pulled back again, but this time it was from a severely shocked woman and she mentally gloated her victory until she spotted Once-ler's shocked face as well. Realizing that she might have gone a little over board she sniffed and looked at Isabella, "I'm sorry, I just get a little offended when people try to hurt me. I wouldn't _actually_ beat you that badly, just enough to let you know not to do it again."

Loud laughter followed after her words and the three looked around, not seeing where it was coming from, "Who was that?" Isabella demanded and they heard the sound of feet beating against the grass, however before they could see who it was they disappeared. She huffed, "Probably more of those strange animals infesting this forest, you should do something about that, Oncie."

"I'm not chasing the animals out of the forest, mom, they were here first." Once-ler sighed, dragging a hand through is hair, "You know, most people would find them adorable; I mean, they sing and dance! How many other animals can do that?"

"I like them." Juniper agreed, "Pipsqueak's my favorite, though, so _cute_!" Once-ler grinned down at her and nodded his agreement.

Isabella sighed and Juniper looked over to see her shaking her head sadly at them, "They have fleas, ticks, and lord knows what other vermin are crawling about on them. Do you think that's _cute_, too?" Juniper curled her lip, unable to argue with that and his mother smirked, "Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not there. That is the difference between you and I, Jennifer-"

Once-ler sighed, _"Juniper,_ mother."

She waved him away, "I can see the big picture, and you can only see your tiny little world." her smirk deepened and she tapped Juniper's nose bravely before patting Once-ler's arm, "I've got to go now, dear, but do try to come by for a visit? I'm afraid I just can't _stand_ that violent woman."

"You tried to hit me, first, _hag_." Juniper muttered as she walked out the door before it shut and she stamped her foot, "I hate her! I hate her!" she stormed over to the counter and slammed her glass down, "How can you stand her? How can you look into that vicious face and not see how horrible she is?"

"Well you're not exactly on the top of her favorites list, either." Once-ler stated, shaking his head and coming to sit at the table, "And you said that you wouldn't attack her, remember? I thought she was going to die from fear alone when you threatened her like that."

She turned around to shoot him an incredulous look, unable to believe he'd just insinuated that she'd attacked his mother, "You did not just say that." he blinked at her innocently, "Seriously, did you just say that?"

He shook his head rapidly, "No, I said you were beautiful."

"You _actually_ just said that! The woman tried to _hit_ me, _you_ had to jerk me out of the way or else she _would_ have; how could you even..." she shook her head at him, her eyes wide with shock and turned back to the counter, snatching up her glass and taking it to the fridge to refill.

Once-ler was up and shaking his head, "No, I didn't mean it like that. Juni, she's _older_ than you, you could really hurt her." she glared at him and shoved the tea back into the fridge before slamming the door closed, "Really, she wouldn't even know how to _start_ to defend herself."

"Well I'm sure her _wonderful_ Oncie wouldn't mind stepping up for her." Juniper snapped before storming out of the tent and into the forest. She didn't have a destination, however if she didn't get out of the tent she wasn't sure she wouldn't be able to hold back. The very nerve of the man, he acted like _she'd_ started it! The woman had spent the entire morning after her, from insults to 'accidents' her pride and body had been hurt so many times that she wasn't sure she could even stomach being around any of them.

She passed the Lorax as he tried to play a game of scrabble with a swomee, he gave her a greeting but she didn't really hear it before she left him behind. She didn't stop walking until she came up to a large waterfall and flopped down beside it, throwing her glass into the raging water as viciously as she could before giving a great sniff. "Prick."

* * *

Once-ler stood by the table too dumbfounded that Juniper would even insinuate that he would ever even think to try hitting her even for his own mother to realize that she'd stormed out of the tent until several moments after she was already gone. "Juniper!" He shouted, jerking the door open to run out and look around the campsite, "Juniper!" he yelled as panic engulfed him.

Where did she go? Where _could_ she go? His stomach churned and he stared at the forest, his heart sinking If she ran into the forest the chances of him finding her were slim; could she find her way back? "Wha'd you do to her?" he turned to see Brett coming up with wide eyes with Chett shaking his head beside him.

Once-ler didn't know how to respond to that, opening his arms and shaking his head, "You didn't _hit_ her did you?" Chett asked.

"Of course I didn't hit her!" Once-ler snapped, "How could I? Why does anyone even _think_ that's possible for me to do?" he threw his hat on the ground and stomped on it in anger, glaring at the forest heatedly before turning to his brothers, "Where is she?"

Brett shrugged, "No clue." he answered, flinching back at Once-ler's glowering face and shaking his head, "Really, I don't know anything about the forest."

Turning his eyes over to Chett he received nearly the same answer and stomped his hat again, "Shit!" the twins gasped and Once-ler kicked his hat away before storming into the forest, "Don't tell mom about this or I will _never_ forgive you!" he warned darkly and the twins nodded quickly. He didn't go very far in before the Lorax ran up to him and he arched an eyebrow, "Where'd she go, Mustache?"

He jerked a thumb over his shoulder and Once-ler followed it without pausing, his heavy steps breaking anything that dared be in his path. He didn't know if the Lorax followed or not, but if he was smart he didn't; if Juniper thought for a second that it was okay to just run out on him she was in for a surprise she would no time soon forget.

How could she think he'd ever try to hit her? Hadn't he already swore he'd never hurt her like that? Did she think the promise wouldn't apply when it came to his mother? He paused long enough to look around a bush before continuing on, tripping over a scrabble board and nearly hitting his head on a rock. "Why is that even here?" he snapped, picking it up and flinging it the way he'd come before standing back up.

The sound of the waterfall caught his attention and he found himself running to it when he finally spotted her sitting under a Truffula with her knees drawn up to her chest and her face tucked between her arms. "Juniper, damn it, do you know how worried I was?" He snapped, coming up to her and kneeling down before her to grab her shoulders and force her to look at him; however the sight of tears smeared across her face that she hurriedly tried to wipe away froze him.

She coughed and pushed him away, turning her head and using her sleeve to dry away the wet streaks, but there was nothing she could do about the red puffy eyes that continued to leak despite her several attempts to try to control them. He couldn't help but watch her from where he landed, his gloved hands uselessly scratching into the grass before he cursed and reached for her again.

When she slapped his hands away he frowned and reached for her again, "Juniper-"

"Shut up and go away!" She snapped, kicking out at him, "I don't' want you here, let me have some time to myself."

"Juni-"

"Go away!" She shouted again, moving to stand up so she could leave instead and he used the opportunity to grab her arm and jerk her to him. She fought, pushing and slapping at his arms but he held on, hugging her to him as tightly as he could; every shuddering gasp she took, each trembled release, he could feel against his own chest. "Leave me alone, Once-ler!"

"NO!" His voice echoed around the forest and sent birds flying from their perches, "I'm not letting you go." She kicked out again and he growled, "Stop fighting me damn it!" she scratched his hands and he was thankful for the thick green gloves that protected his skin. He managed to grab her wrists and pressed them into her stomach, rocking her slightly in effort to calm her, "It's okay."

"No it's not, you mother's horrible and there's nothing I can do about it." Her voice croaked out, sounding harsh and painful and he flinched from the scratchy sound of it. She stopped trying to jerk out of his hold and he felt her tremble slightly, "She's mean and spiteful and you don't even stop her."

He flinched, rubbing his hands against her arms soothingly as she hiccupped against him; "You're right, I'll get her to stop." he promised, but she shook her head and sniffed again. "Yes I will, you'll wake up tomorrow and find a whole new Isabella or no Isabella at all, okay?" he murmured, pressing his face into her hair. She didn't bother to respond and he frowned, "You can believe me, Juniper, I'm not going to let you down."

When she gave a small nod he released a breath he hadn't even known he had held and gathered her across his lap to curl around her, waiting for her jagged breathing to calm as he smoothed her hair. The soft strands couldn't be felt, though, and he cursed the gloves he wore silently, unable to take the long accessories from his arms without first letting go; and he wasn't letting go if his life depended on it. "You can't just run into the forest, Juniper, even if it is only full of cuddly animals that would sooner serenade than scratch." he lectured, "You could get lost, or trip and hit your head on a rock. What if you'd fallen into the river?"

She shrugged and he sighed, leaning back against the tree and trying to compose his thoughts before shaking his head, "You can't scare me like that, it's not fair. You also can't just run away when we're arguing, I don't want you hiding out and crying by yourself; you don't have to do that when I'm right here."

She remained quiet, though, and he frowned but let it go; he would bring it up again after she'd had enough time to calm down. Instead, he got to his feet and carried her back to the tent, passing a worried looking Lorax and giving him a nod. The guardian nodded back with a relieved twitch of his yellow mustache and Once-ler continued on. He wasn't surprised to see his mother coming towards him when he came out of the forest, however he sent her a warning scowl and she froze mid step.

"We're talking later." He promised darkly and she gave a timid nod as he passed. When the door opened for him he looked at Brett who gave him a thumbs up and he nodded him a thank you before slipping in and closing the door with his heal.

He kicked his shoes off and walked to the bed, putting Juniper onto the mattress, unsurprised to see that she'd fallen asleep. Taking his gloves off he let them fall to his feet before shrugging out of his jacket and climbing into bed beside her. She reached for him instinctively and he slid closer, wrapping his arms around the sleeping girl and pressing his lips to the top of her head before finally letting the fear and worry fade enough to let him doze beside her.

* * *

When Juniper woke she found herself pressed tightly into Once-ler's chest and tiredly rubbed her burning eyes, confused why she wasn't on the couch where she'd taken to sleeping for the past week in effort to avoid any more morning torture from the hag. Then she remembered what happened and felt her face flood with heat from the humiliation of being caught crying so openly. It wouldn't have been so bad if she could have stopped the tears, but she hadn't been able to and had even sobbed in Once-ler's arms like an overgrown baby.

She unwrapped herself from around him and tried to get up, but his hold was tight around her waist and she had a mild flash back of her first time waking in his arms. Deciding he was a heavy enough sleeper to try, she made pull his arms from around her but was surprised when he grabbed her wrist and stopped her. "I'm awake." he informed her, bringing her arm back around him, "I'm just comfortable."

She blushed again, "I need to go to the bathroom." she excused herself, but he shook his head, "Really, Once-ler let go or you're going to have to throw you bed out."

"I already said I'm not letting go and I can afford a new bed." he told her and she frowned. "Why did you run?"

"Because you made me angry." She wiggled, trying to free herself from his hold unsuccessfully, "I'm not playing around with you, Once-ler, let me go to the bathroom! I don't want to pee all over myself even if you don't care if it gets all over you."

He shrugged carelessly, "You're probably right, I should consider you feelings, shouldn't I?" he asked and she nodded quickly against his chest. "But I'm not going to."

"Damn it, Once-ler!" She snapped, pinching his wrist hard enough that he yelped and she scrambled up and reached the edge of the bed before Once-ler wrapped himself around her again and dragged her back. Her bladder was pressed against painfully and she gasped, "What's wrong with you? Let me go to the bathroom!"

"I'm sure you'll get different answers from different people, but I'd like to think my problem is simply being misunderstood and disregarded." he muttered and she blinked, "Because it sure would be _nice_ if my girlfriend didn't run away from me into a forest she's never been into; leaving me behind with nothing but fear and worry to guide me to her."

"Yes, fine, I won't do it again-"

"It'd also be nice if she'd slept beside me again like she used to."

"_Alright_, let _go_!" She snapped and he released her. She nearly fell off the bed head first if he hadn't reached out and grabbed the back of her shirt and she quickly scrambled off the bed and ran for the bathroom, his loud laughter chasing her down ruthlessly. She paused at the bathroom door and glared at him, "This isn't over."

"Good, I've got more to say." he smirked at her and she scrunched her nose at his fearless behavior before going in to dance around as she unbuttoned her pants. When she finished she washed her hands and crept out of the bathroom quietly, only to give a strangled yelp when she was ambushed and Once-ler wrapped himself around her once more.

"Stop clinging on me." She demanded, turning in his arms and trying to push him off forcefully, he just laughed at her attempts, however, and she huffed in indignation, "Let go and grow up!"

"But I get whatever I want when I do this!" He blinked down at her before pausing and heaving a sigh, "Wait, is that only when you need to go to the bathroom?" she glared at him and he grinned, "Want something to drink?"

She released an unwilling laugh at that and gave up, wrapping her arms around his waist and held him until his arms finally let go of her and she got to clearly see his far to pleased grin spread widely over his face, "Well aren't you proud of yourself, you managed to use my body against me, congratulations." she clapped her hands sarcastically and he took a deep bow.

"I was serious though, just because you're angry with me doesn't mean you can do whatever you want, especially not run out on me." His eyes were locked on hers, stern and intense enough to make her shift her feet guiltily, "I didn't know where you went, if Mustache hadn't found you then you might have been out there for days wandering around in circles with me running around in circles trying to find you before you died."

She rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't have died."

"Can you put a guarantee on that?" He demanded, taking a step closer to her, "I also don't want you hiding out to cry by yourself, why would you even do that? If you're mad at me and don't want me to see you cry then that's fine, I'm sure Mustache will sit with you and listen to you cuss and insult me until you're blue in the face, but not ever by yourself."

She scowled at him but he continued to stare at her until she looked away stubbornly, she absolutely refused to agree to that. Her tears were her business and it was her decision alone on who she did or didn't want to share them with. Several moments passed and she could still feel him staring at her and she sighed, "I'm not agreeing to that."

He threw his hands up and stepped away from her so suddenly that she jumped and he looked at her with raw pain etched on his face, "Fine, then I just won't let you be alone even if I'm the one you're angry at." he conceded, staring at her and shaking his head, "And why would you even think I would try to fight you?"

She flinched again and shook her head, "I didn't-"

"You did, if you didn't you wouldn't have even thought to say it." He stared at her and she shook her head, not knowing what he wanted her to say, "I won't hurt you, not even if someone held a gun to my head I wouldn't hurt you. You could beat my mother with a bat and I wouldn't hurt you! That's why it's so important that _you_ not hurt her, because there's nothing_ I_ can do to stop you if you suddenly snapped and went after her neck."

His serious eyes looked firmly into her own and she swallowed, "I won't hurt your mother." she promised, not knowing what else to say and he rolled his eyes, "Really, I'll leave if she tries to push me-"

"I don't want you to have to leave every time she's nasty to you." He sighed, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair, "I know why you hate her, I do. I know that she's making your life miserable every time she's around and I'm going to end that, I meant it when I said that in the forest. You shouldn't be run out of your home when someone else tries to chase you out of it and I'm not going to just sit back and let that happen."

She nodded, rubbing her hand on her arm before closing the distance between them and wrapping her arms around his neck. His arms slid around her waist and held her so gently that she was afraid she might actually melt from the warmth, and as she stood on her toes to press her lips against his a hot breath slid into her mouth and she shivered from the unexpected intimacy.

* * *

When he felt Juniper's lips press against his own he blinked, not expecting the gesture and unable to respond until she was already pulling away and he brought her back for a second kiss. He pressed her to him as he enjoyed the soft sweet taste, thrilled when her lips moved under his in response to his own. Every breath she gave he took selfishly and held her tighter against him, delighting in the small shivers that met his fingertips when his fingers sought the soft flesh of her lower back.

When his name whispered past her lips against his own he had to tear himself away, however he only managed to stumble into the cloth wall behind him, dragging her down with him. They tore though to the other side and Juniper recoiled from the sudden brightness as he tried to blink himself back into awareness. "Wow, what were you two doing in there?" a voice asked and he looked up to see his Uncle Ubb wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Once-ler groaned and rubbed his eyes, though he wasn't sure if it was because of his uncle, the light, or the fact that he'd just torn a large hole into the side of his tent. Juniper was already up and tugging at his wrist so he stood up as well and sent a warning look to his uncle before he could haze him to much in front of the fidgeting girl at his side, "Hi Uncle Ubb."

His uncle looked at both him and Juniper before chuckling, "Ah, to be young and in love with a pretty girl." he sighed, turning and wandering away peacefully to no doubt share his new-found gossip with his wife. Once-ler rolled his eyes and decided to just duck back into the tent before anyone else decided to stumble upon his perfectly timed screw up.

He let Juniper crawl back in first before following her and studying the hole from inside the tent, "Do you think he's going to tell anyone?" Juniper asked him and he looked at her, nodding his head to confirm that he would. "He's going to tell everyone?" he nodded and her face flooded such a bright red that he couldn't help but laugh, "Don't laugh!" he laughed harder at that and she stamped her foot, "Oh, you're unbelievable."

"Why thank you, you're pretty unbelievable yourself." she stared at him and he gave her an innocent grin before strolling over to the bedside table to retrieve a needle and thread when he finally heard her squeak something out. Turning to ask her what it was and seeing her doing some sort of spastic dancing pace thing in front of the hole he figured it would just be better to leave her be for the moment while she figured out what she wanted to do first.

Someone knocked at the door and Juniper froze in her tracks somewhere between a boot-scoot and a boogy, staring at it like she expected a monster to burst in and devour them both, "Who's there?!" she yelped, pointing at it and looking at him like he would know.

He rolled his eyes and gave her a sarcastic arch of his eyebrows and she blushed, "Sorry, I'm okay." she breathed as she walked to the door and opened it to see his mother frowning at her, "I'm not okay!" She snapped, slamming the door in the woman's face and scrambling for the bathroom; he made to catch her but she managed to jump over him and lock herself inside, "I'm not dealing with her, I'm not."

The front door opened and he watched his mother walk in, her eyes scanning the room and landing on him to give him a firm look, her hands coming to rest on her hips, "What are you two in here doing?"

He looked at her and wondered if she had lost her mind, "That's honestly none of your business." he said flatly, turning back to finish sewing up the hole as she came further into the tent.

"Where is she?"

"Locked away in the bathroom because she can't stand you." he frowned and finished the last stitch, pushing against the string to test out its hold before shaking his head, "Might have to get a patch for this." he mumbled to himself when a stitch tore out of place. He turned and knocked on the bathroom door, "Want to go to town with me in a bit, Juni?" he asked casually.

The door cracked open and he seen Juniper look around until she spotted his mother and her head went back in. For a moment he thought the door would close, but she continued to hold it open as she nodded, "Can we swing by the grocery, too? We're out of bread and I'd like to restock on the coffee, Fuzzy's taken a liking to it and I don't want to run out on accident."

He nodded and stood up, looking over to his mother and arching an eyebrow, "Is there something you needed or did you just want to start our little discussion early?" she glared at him and he shrugged before turning back to Juniper, "This might take a while, want something to read while you're in there?"

"I'll take a shower, would you get me some clothes?" He nodded and walked to the closet, pulling out a simple flower print sundress before walking to the dresser and snatching up her panties as well. Smirking he tucked them in his fist and walked back to the bathroom, holding the dress out to her that she took with a grateful smile before he dangled the panties out to her as well. "Once-ler!" she gasped, trying to snatch them away, however he drew his hand back and raised both of his eyebrows, "Give those to me, why do you have them?"

"Well if you don't want them I can keep them." he shrugged and stuffed them into his pinstriped slacks, walking away and ignoring her demands for him to give them back before he heard her huff and shut the door. Grinning he walked over to his table and sat, giving his mother a large smile, "She's the cutest thing, isn't she?"

"Have you completely lost your senses?" His mother asked him, looking like she honestly wanted to know.

He shrugged, "I might have, great, huh?" she shook her head at him and he pointed to the chair opposite of him, "Well let's get this over with, I'm in a good mood and would like to enjoy it for a little while longer, so keep quiet until I'm done talking."

"Once-ler you will no-"

"First, you absolutely may not ever touch Juniper in anger, if you slap her she'll hit you and I won't do anything to stop her." his mother blinked at him and he nodded, "I've already told her this as well, so you can bet that she won't hesitate to defend herself, and since I'm pretty sure she can do a fairly good job of it without any help I'd suggest you remember it."

"You told her she can hit me?"

"I told her there's nothing I can do to stop her." he corrected factually and his mother slowly slid into the chair across from him and he nodded his approval, "You also can't come in here without someone answering the door; if there's no answer then they're no entry." she opened her mouth but he continued, "Also, and most importantly, if you insult Juniper then one of us is going to kick you out. You can't antagonize her in her own home, I'm not going to let that happen anymore so you're going to knock it off."

'"You can't kick me out!" His mother snapped at him, slapping her palms against the dining table, "I'm your mother, Once-ler, don't you dare treat me with so little respect! Who do you think raised you?"

Once-ler shrugged, "I don't think of it as disrespecting you, I think of it as respecting Juniper." he looked at her and frowned, "Would dad have let someone come into your home and treat you the way you've treated Juniper?"

"That is an entirely different situation." His mother snapped heatedly, "I was his wife, the mother of his children-" she stopped and stared at him, "Oh you're not going to-"

"Not yet, but possibly someday and I don't want her to have any reason to think I wouldn't do for her exactly as dad did for you." he interrupted her firmly and she stared at him in astonishment before nodding her head slowly and he smiled, "Excellent, that went far smother than I thought it would! Now don't be offended, but I don't think Juniper's going to come out of the bathroom until you're gone and I really do need to get a patch before nightfall to keep insects from getting in and making a feast out of us in our sleep."

She nodded again and stood up, leaving the tent quietly and Once-ler grinned happily to himself, leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head, propping his foot up on the table and rocking his chair back on its hind legs in smug satisfaction. He was cool, he was calm, he was boss.

Juniper came out of the bathroom in her short sundress patting her hair dry and he lost his balance, crashing to the ground before rolling out of the chair and getting the best sight he'd ever seen. "So you don't wear panties after showering?"

His ears still rang and his face still stung, but as he handed her the pink heart print panties from his pocket he couldn't help but grin. He was king of his castle and the king had a good life indeed. "Whatever you're thinking, knock it off!" Juniper snapped at him and his grin grew even wider, "I mean it!"

* * *

An hour later they were riding into town and Once-ler was still smiling like a fool, Juniper seriously considered slapping him again but rejected the idea when his hand slipped into hers to squeeze it lightly. She squinted at his innocent face and sighed, squeezing his hand in return and earning herself a bright smile, "You're lucky you're alive."

"You have no idea." He chirped back and she couldn't help but laugh as they came to a stop in front of a small camping supply shop and went inside. There was a large kayak hanging from the ceiling as decoration, but otherwise everything was set up neatly on shelves, hangers, and hooks in straight rows, leaving only enough room for two people to cross by if they walked sideways. A happy looking man seen them come in and noticed Once-ler without having to take a second look, "Mr. Once-ler! A honer to have you in my store, sir, are you looking for another tent?" he boomed, coming closer to the couple.

He was a large man in both height and girth, Juniper could easily picture him lifting up a small bus over his head without breaking a sweat as he stepped before them. "We've got plenty more options in the back if you'd like to take a look around there; not really for sell at the moment, but I'm sure exceptions can be made for one of the most successful men in town." he gave a booming laugh.

Once-ler shook his head, "We're just needing a patch today." he answered, looking shocked when the man nodded and ran to bring back several different colored, styled, lengths, and patterned patches back with a small tube of glue. Juniper watched as he fanned the samples out for their inspection and looked at them, admiring one with little chubby pink pigs printed on it.

"That's adorable." Juniper laughed, pulling it out of his hands and looking at it; it was far to small for their hole but Once-ler let her keep it and selected a plain tan patch stripping before paying. They were nearly out of the door when the large man called out for them and ran up with a small pamphlet for Once-ler to take with him.

The cover was a collage of pictures of tents in all shapes and sizes, some even three stories high and Once-ler lifted the small booklet, "Thanks a bunch, we'll give it a look after we're done with our shopping." he promised, handing it to her before leading her out of the store and back onto the concrete sidewalk before rolling his eyes, "Why do they try to sell you a tent when you go in for a patch?"

"Because they want your money." Juniper explained promptly as she opened the brochure to look at the available tents inside when she spotted a cute little picture glass top table, letting her eyes drift to the price and snorting, "Apparently all of it, too; they're charging four hundred for this tiny little table." she held it up for him to see when he suddenly grabbed onto her and brought her to his chest, squeezing her so tight that she had to choke for breath, "Once-ler, what are you doing?"

"Are you okay? Do you feel sick or anything?" He asked her urgently, his fingers tangling in her hair to grab at the strands and she shook her head in answer, knitting her brow in confusion, "We're going back, now."

"Once-ler, what is wrong with you?" she snapped when he suddenly picked her up and made a beeline for the cart; then she noticed that she could slightly see the outline of his arm through her legs and her breath stilled. "Once, my legs-"

"We're going back, you're going to be fine." He got into the cart and flicked the reigns harshly, sending Melvin into a fast trot back towards the forest, "Hurry up, Mel, we've got an emergency!" he shouted and the mule nodded, his hooves slamming into the dirt as he strained himself. Her stomach began tying itself in knots and she lifted her hand to watch in horror as a little more color faded away, allowing her to easily see through her hand and Once-ler grabbed it, dragging her back into his lap and holding on tightly.

"You're fine!" He shouted, flicking the reigns again.

She shook her head and looked at him sadly, she was about to wake up all over again.

* * *

Authors Note: Oohhh, busted! Juniper's fading out of Once-ler's life again and there's nothing either of them can do about it... Is there?

I'd like to give a quick thanks to those of you who are reviewing, one of you doesn't seem to have an account, but your support is very appreciated! Hope you all enjoy the chapter as much as I did while writing it. :D


	11. Chapter 11

Falling Deep: Whatever it Takes

Authors Note: I just donated my self help books to a thrift store and they actually asked me if they worked. o.o; I had no idea how to answer so I told them 'yep' and they laughed... Wtf maaan? /fail! XD

* * *

When the cart pulled up beside the tent Once-ler picked up a translucent Juniper and hopped out, thankful that no one was outside to see her and ran into the tent, "Lorax!" he shouted, looking around and not finding the little furry guardian. Cursing as he walked to the bed and sat down, gathering her tightly to him so that he could curl around her and feeling more useless than he'd ever felt before in his life.

She had fallen asleep on the bumpy ride home despite him begging her not to and he hadn't been able to wake her up. She was drifting away and there wasn't one damn thing he could do to stop it but hold on to her limp body and wonder if it had been the same the first time she'd disappeared on him. "Juniper, baby, if you go away what am I going to do? I almost didn't make it the last time, you have to try to wake up!" she sighed in her sleep and he hit the mattress in frustration before wrapping the arm back around her.

He curled his fingers into her clothes and pressed her head under his chin, the pressure made it nearly painful to breath but he was sure that if he slackened his hold on her she would slip away from his grasp and never return again. They would take her away and leave him nothing but dancing shadows to chase after with no hope of ever catching, "Lorax!" he shouted again.

"I'm here, Beanpole." The Lorax stated and he looked to see him sitting on the end of the mattress frowning at him in concentration, "I wish there was something I could do."

Once-ler shook his head, "What do you mean you wish? You're the Lorax, mystical powers and all that, do something!" the Lorax just raised useless hands and Once-ler cursed, folding himself around the girl in his arms, "What am I supposed to do then?"

"Hold on tight and hope that works, I guess." The Lorax stated, shaking his head and giving a slight shrug, "To be honest, this is a first for me; I did what I can to bring her back."

Once-ler clenched his eyes shut and trembled, "Make them stop, Mustache, make them leave us alone!" his request was unreasonable and impossible, but he still gave his friend a hard stare. "We're not hurting anyone, make them stop."

"I can't, kid. I would, but I can't."

He raged silently, tearing his eyes away to press his face into Juniper's neck; breathing in the mix scents of Truffula's, shampoo, and grass in effort of memorizing the conjoined smells. "If they take her I'll bring everything down." he stated lowly, "I'll burn this world to ash and leave them nothing but flickers of memory and pain like they're doing to me."

The Lorax was watching with sad eyes when he looked back up, "Maybe you should think about what you should be doing now rather then what you'll do to them after." he suggested, "Try focusing on her, think of the reasons why you want her to stay." Once-ler snorted and the Lorax shook his head and hopped off the mattress, walking to the door; "The only attachment she has here is you after all, you lose that and you'll lose everything; you're the best hope she's got of sticking around." he paused and looked back at them, "I'm rooting for you two, you know."

Once-ler nodded and the Lorax left him to his increasingly dark thoughts. There would be no more laughter, no more waking up with long blonde hair in his mouth. No shy smiles and no angry words. With only a week and a kiss she was going to leave his life without even knowing she was ever part of it and break the heart she had glued back together. "Juniper, wake up." he told her, rubbing his hand against her arm and pressing his lips firmly to her ear, "Wake up and at least tell me goodbye."

To his surprise her eyes drifted open slightly, looking at him as though she didn't know the first thing about him and he gave a bitter laugh, "Remember me, Juni?" she frowned, but gave a nod and his stomach started hurting, "Who am I?"

"Once-ler." She said his name without hesitation, tiredly wrapping her arms around his neck and snuggling into his chest.

He sighed in relief, but shook her again, forcing her to wake back up, "Listen Juni, you have to stay awake, okay?" she shook her head and he felt like throwing something. "Why the hell are you so damn stubborn?"

"'cuz you're an idiot." She yawned and he felt his lips pull up in a reluctant smile.

"Are you going to leave me?" He whispered, pleased when her eyes opened a bit to look at him in confusion, "Remember your hands? You're fading on me." she looked down at her hands and her eyes widened a bit more. "That's right, you're going to fade away if you don't wake up. You have to try to fight it."

She nodded and blinked her eyes firmly before trying to sit up and he had to readjust his hold around her waist with shaky arms, but she was up and rubbing her eyes firmly, "I'm awake." she promised before narrowing her eyes, "Everything looks foggy, am I dreaming?"

"No, Juni, you're not dreaming. You're awake and you have to stay that way." He looked over at the coffee pot but rejected making any, he'd have to let her go and he somehow knew that if he did that he would turn around and forget why he'd made it. "You know what's one of my favorite things about you is?" he suddenly asked, his fingers reaching under her shirt to rub circles around her belly button. She gave a weak laugh and tried to shove his hand away and he grinned, "Yep, got it right in one. You probably have no idea that it sounds like fairy bells, do you?" he tickled her again, hearing the ringing bells so clearly he could picture them floating around her head without even trying.

"No it doesn't." she grinned at him and he gave her a smirk, nodding his head to confirm that it did and she laughed again, "I don't hear it."

He shrugged, "Maybe it's just me, then." he wondered without caring, "The second thing I like most about you is your glare." she gave him a strange look over her shoulder and his heart skipped a beat to see a light blue returning to what had previously been a dark gray, "Yes ma'am, your eyes nearly go purple if I manage to get you mad enough; like before we went to town when you were coming out of the shower-"

"Yes, yes, I remember. You don't have to say it." She snapped and, sure enough, her eyes turned a darker shade of blue and he couldn't resist nuzzling her neck and squeezing her. She shifted in his arms and he felt her hands smooth across his back, "I like that no matter what you do you always smell like butterfly milk, even if you're drenched in your own sweat." she teased and he laughed. "But I hate it that you always find some way of teasing me when I'm already mad at you to begin with."

"That's one of my finer points." He corrected, lifting some of her hair and pressing it to his lips, "I like kissing you, though I've really only done it once." she gave a light laugh and he grinned, "I plan on doing it a million more times by the end of the week, though."

"You can't kiss someone a million times in a week."

"I can give it my greatest effort." He muttered before sliding his mouth across hers and tracing the soft opening with his tongue. He felt her stiffen from the shock, but continued to move his lips against hers, tantalizingly dragging his teeth against her full bottom lip and shivering when she purred his name. "I also like it when you say my name like that." he murmured softly, "So you've got to stick around and say it more often."

He pulled back looking into deep pools of blue and said a prayer of thanks when he realized he could no longer see through her; she was still pale, but she was awake and alert in his arms. She took one of his hands and sandwiched it between both of hers, "I like how many smiles you have, one for every occasion that you hand out to anyone lucky enough to make eye contact with you."

He laughed, "I'm afraid that's only when you're around." he informed her, watching the gold return to her hair she she tracked the lines of his hand and feeling himself begin to relax slightly. "I like that when I turn my head I can see you."

She stretched her legs out and finally brought his fingers to her lips, brushing the rough knuckles against them and humming softly, "I like that I love you."

The admittance washed over him and left him feeling calm and mellow, "I like that I love you, too." he whispered, pressing another kiss to her temple. She was safely back in his arms, but he didn't want to tempt fate and continued to hold her close to him; releasing a deep breath he looked over her shoulder at the small spots of light leaking through the shoddily sewn up tent and frowned. "I hate that I lost the patch, though."

She laughed at that before shifting a bit on his lap and withdrawing the small piggy patch he'd bought for her, "I've got this." she offered and he plucked it from her fingers to give it a thoughtful glance, "It might be big enough, if not it'll work for one night, right?" he nodded and tucked the patch into his pocket with absolutely no plans on using it for anything else but a reminder to do whatever it took to keep the blonde in his lap forever at his side.

"So I've decided that neither of us is allowed to sleep ever again." He informed her in a serious voice and she gave a serious nod in answer that had him grin, "You want to play a game or goof around on the guitar?"

* * *

Despite the fact that he told her not to she'd fallen asleep on him at nearly three in the morning and he sighed with his arms locked around her and staring at their toes when the Lorax suddenly peeked through the door. Once-ler waved him in casually and the guardian nodded to the sleeping girl, "Looks like you managed to keep her."

"For today." Once-ler sighed.

The Lorax shrugged, "Gods are fickle enough, they might give it another try or two but they'll soon give up and act like it was their intention to let you keep her all along." he told him, shuffling to the fridge and pulling out the last of the bread. He held it up, "Mind if I use this?"

"Go for it." Once-ler waved a hand at him to show that he didn't mind before watching his friend stick the bread into the toaster and shaking his head, "What do they care if she stays or not?"

The Lorax snorted, "They don't. I just told you, their fickle."

"Then why bother us at all?" He snapped, not understanding at all and the Lorax shrugged to show that he didn't either. Sighing he turned his eyes to the night sky outside his kitchen window, "You know I meant it, if they take her away I'll do everything in my power to ruin this world."

The Lorax looked at him and took a bite of the dry toast, scrunching his nose and reaching for the butter, "I wouldn't blame ya, Beanpole." he said flatly. Spreading the butter on the toast he took another bite and nodded his acceptance, "Just try to do it without ruining my forest along with it."

"That goes without saying, Mustache." he returned to playing with Juniper's hair and wiggled his foot, fighting against the powerful pull of his own eyelids before looking at the guardian dropping crumbs all over his floor that the blonde would complain about in the morning and grinned, "Did I thank you yet?"

"Have you _ever_ thanked me?" The Lorax scoffed jokingly, taking another bite of his toast and chewing it thoughtfully, "You have any jam for this?"

"Probably, Juniper rearranged the fridge, though, so I have no idea which shelf it's on."

* * *

Juniper awoke still in Once-ler's arms and made no move to extract herself as she listened to his steady heartbeat and deep even breathing. She enjoyed the quiet for about ten minutes before there was a knock on the door and she rolled her eyes, tempted to throw the vase beside the bed at it to chase whoever it was away.

"Hey, you guys awake yet?" Chett's voice boomed through the solid wood and Juniper rolled her eyes, keeping her mouth shut; "Come on, we've been waiting for hours!"

"We're still asleep, go away Chett!" Once-ler yelled back and she nearly jumped a foot in the air, making him laugh deeply at her reaction to the discovery that he was still awake. Chett knocked on the door before making whining noises and she laughed when he started to scratch around the door handle. "Can't you act your age for once?"

Silence answered him and for a moment Juniper thought he left, however the scratching resumed two fold and she could picture Brett clawing away at the door, too. "I haven't made any breakfast, go home and eat." she shouted at the door.

"Sounds like you're both awake to us!"

Once-ler groaned and the door was thrown open, the twins falling over each other somehow before scrambling to their feet and shutting it behind them, "Good morning!"

She looked up to see Once-ler glaring mildly at the duo before heaving a sigh, "There's left over potato salad in the fridge, if you leave no you can have that." Juniper offered, patting Once-ler's knee soothingly as they ran over to the fridge and pulled out the large green plastic bowl she'd stored it in.

"Hey, is that bacon?" Chett asked happily, taking the bowl to the table and sitting down with it as Brett fetched forks from a drawer, "Wow, Juni! You're the best cook ever!"

"You're supposed to leave and take it with you!" Once-ler groaned, falling to his side and taking her with him. She laughed when he curled his long body around hers, "They're taking over, there's no hope left anymore."

"Hey, do you care if we eat this, too?" she heard Brett ask and looked over Once-ler's shoulder to see him holding a small orange plate that held the last few slices of cake.

Once-ler threw his pillow at them without looking and it smacked Chett's head before hitting the ground. He looked at it, picked it up, and sat on it. "He's sitting on your pillow." Juniper tattled and Once-ler heaved a sigh and sat back up to look over at his grinning siblings.

"You two are pests." He informed them blandly, standing up and walking over to pull the pillow out from under Chett who managed to catch himself before being flung to the floor of the tent. "Why are you hassling us so early in the morning?"

Brett stuffed a bite of potato salad in his mouth and pointed his fork to the side of the tent, "Mom's up and she ain't happy." Once-ler made an understanding sound and patted the man's shoulder who nodded in response and Juniper crawled out of bed, stretching her arms over her head when the pillow suddenly hit her and knocked her back over.

"Hey!" She snapped, looking at the innocently blinking Once-ler who was pointing at his brothers with wide eyes. She snorted, "Right." she let the matter drop, though, not deeming it a worthy enough aggravation to bother her as she got out of bed and walked over to the coffee pot, pausing to look around the strangly empty tent. "They never did show up last night, did they?"

Once-ler shook his head, "No, but Mustache dropped by for a bit, I think he told them to clear off or something." he shrugged like he didn't care and Juniper nodded. It had been a stressful night for the both of them so she appreciated the thoughtful gesture probably a little more than she usually would have. Looking at her hand she curled her fingers, it had been an odd feeling to suddenly just start fading away. At first she hadn't noticed, but as time went on it was a slow creeping numbness that only grew more insistant with each second that passed.

If Once-ler had noticed any later she probably would be out delivering pizzas and getting yelled at by her old jerk boss; or maybe she'd be waking up in the cab of the rental truck. Honestly the where's didn't matter, what mattered was that she would suffer with the same haunting feelings she'd only experienced for an instant the night before.

She had looked right at Once-ler and had known who he was but wasn't able to recall his name at all until he'd asked her to and it frightened her that it would happen again. What would they do if she started fading while they both slept? Was that how it happened last time? She doubted it for some reason and looked over to see Once-ler looking at her worriedly before giving him a bright smile and reaching for the carafe.

Shaking the left over fear in her stomach away she quickly measured the grounds, frowning into the dwindling can, and turned the pot on to brew, "What are you boys planning on wasting your day with?" she asked casually, turning to see the three brothers grinning widely as they whispered to each other and immediately knew they were talking about her, "Hey!" she clapped her hands and got their attention, her eyes zeroing in on Once-ler's guilty looking face.

She looked over to Brett who looked entirely to happy and over to Chett who shook his head quickly and she grinned at him, "Gee, Chett, I was thinking about making a pie today just for you!" he burst into a smile as the other two men tried to get his attention and she smirked. "I'd sure love to make you one, but I just don't know if I can make a pie for people who talk behind my back." she sighed and twiddled her thumbs.

"It wasn't me, it was them! I was just listening." He looked over at the other two men that were gaping at him and shrugged, "Sorry, but she's talking about making a pie, what would you do?" she smirked and came over to pat his back happily and level the other two a quick glare before leaning down so that he could tell her what they were talking about.

Her back straightened before he finished talking and she walked out of the tent, dragging the hose back inside with her shortly after and grinning as Once-ler yelped. "Gonna tell them our bedroom business, huh?"

Once-ler tried to make a mad dash away, but he didn't have a prayer and she sprayed him without mercy, not caring if she drenched the entire house in her effort, "Let's see you talk with your big mouth full of water!" she added an insane laugh just for fun before turning the hose onto Brett, who fell out of his chair and she pouted when he hid under the table.

Releasing the little red trigger she lifted it to her lips and blew across the nozzle with a satisfied fist on her hip and smirked at the damage she created with simple water pressure. Once-ler sat on the floor with is long legs stretched out before him, his hair dripping over his eyes and his nice new, if a bit sleep wrinkled, clothes dripping into the large puddle under him as Bret wrung the bottom of his overalls out onto her kitchen floor.

Flipping her hair over her shoulder she tossed the hose back out of the house and walked to her counters, "Once, would you mind moping the floor for me while I make some pie crust?" she asked sweetly without looking at him.

He coughed, "Sure thing, sweetie."

* * *

Brett left the tent in so that he could change into a dryer set of clothes and left Once-ler and Chett to deal with Juniper... Or, rather, left hiim to deal with Juniper, Chett was proudly sitting at the kitchen table with his hands folded together waiting for his damned pie. "You're a traitor."

"I'm a traitor that's getting his own pie." He corrected happily, not bothered at all that Once-ler was busily sopping up water with a mop and squeezing it into a large bucket. "Besides, I told you that she'd be mad if she found out."

"I'm not telling you anything anymore." he shot back, squeezing more water into the bucket as he tried to fight off the laughter that threatened to spill out of him. Well, he had wondered what her reaction would be if he told anyone about the hole in the tent, now he knew. "You'd better give me a slice of your pie."

"I'm making some for us to share, stop teasing him." Juniper talked him, a slight smile turning the corners of her lips up as she looked at him with amusement, "Why would you tell them that when you know how embarrassed I'd be?"

He looked at her, then gave her a sheepish grin and tapped the corner of his eye and she gawked at him, shaking her head in disbelief, "You did it to make me angry?" pointing at her and winking she continued to stare at him until he started to worry that she might get the hose back out again. Finally she turned to Chett, "How did you live with him?"

He laughed and picked up his bucket, "Why do you think they used to chase me around all the time for, Juni? Because I _liked_ their little game?" he opened the door and took the bucket several feet away before dumping it on the ground and turning in time to see Brett, now dry in a new pair of overalls, running back with an apologetic look on his face, "What did you do?"

"Mom's on her way over." He snapped, ducking into the tent and leaving Once-ler to sigh and follow after.

"We could have spent a nice relaxing afternoon in bed and you jokers had to come over and ruin it." He sighed when he got inside, putting the mop and bucket back into the utility closet near the kitchen and nodding at Juniper, "Mom's on her way over, if she gets says anything that you don't like then kick her out. Even if it's just a slight insult, she needs to know I'm serious."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." Juniper promised, nodding her head firmly as she kneed the dough she'd been mixing before placing it into a large ceramic bowl and covering it with a cheese towel and washing her hands. She took a quick look down at herself and walked over to the closet, pulling out a set of clean clothes and taking them to the bathroom with her.

Once she was gone Once-ler and Brett turned to Chett and the man gulped, "I'll snitch in a heart beat." he told them both warningly, holding up a hand to prevent them from any trickery while Juniper was in the bathroom, "Then she'll probably give me both pies and you won't get any at all."

Once-ler figured he was right and decided to just sit at the table and be a good boy until she returned or his mother knocked on the door, "I think we've got some ice cream in the freezer, too." he told Brett, who still had a mischievous gleam in his eye, "So you'd be missing out."

Brett looked at him before going to the freezer to check if he was right and Once-ler heard the door knock, "Don't get into it until the pies done." he demanded, standing up to answer the door for his mother. She looked more curious than annoyed, thankfully, and she stepped into the slightly damp tent she gave him an arched eyebrow, "I may have teased Juniper just a bit to much before she had her coffee." he explained, shutting the door behind the woman and returning to his chair.

His mother sniffed and he threw a warning look over his shoulder to stifle whatever nasty remark she was preparing to bite out and her face screwed up. Nodding his head he pointed to the empty chair, "Have a seat mom, Juniper will be out of the bathroom once she's dressed, she was making pie crust so her clothes got a little dirty." The explanation was unnecessary, but he gave it anyhow.

She took the offered seat and Brett finally found the ice cream, "She won't mind if we eat some now, right?"

"I will, put it back." Once-ler stated sternly, pointing to the fridge. If they got into it before the pie was even in the oven there was no hope for it to last long enough to be on the same plate. Brett glowered at him, but did as told and sat on the counter with his hands between his knees, the glowing example of all things pouty in the world. "You're such a kid."

"Elbows off the table, dear." Isabella stated and Once-ler moved his arms off the table as Brett blasted him with a smug look, Once-ler stuck his tongue out before he could stop himself and Chett busted out laughing. His mother sighed and shook her head, giving them all a stern look that reminded Once-ler of home and he grinned at her, proud of himself that he could now do that in his own home without being sent from the table.

"Once, if you keep that up the chairs will eventually break." He looked over and seen Juniper walk back to the table wearing a pink blouse and green shorts that he highly approved of. "They're already wobbly because you won't stop leaning on the back legs, you're asking for it."

He waved away her warning and continued to lean back in the chair until he heard a soft creak of wood and decided to sit forward and draw the blonde into his lap. Her eyes widened and she tried to stop him, he'd give her that, but in the end she failed and their chair laid below them broken to bits. He blinked, awed by the perfect timing as Juniper crossed her arms and gloated at him from over her shoulder.

The room suddenly exploded in laughter as Chett and Brett jumped from their seats to help them up and his mother leaned over the table, laughing as well with an eyebrow arched, "Perhaps you finally see why I kept telling you boys leaning in the furniture like you always do _breaks_ it?" She sat down happily and folded her hands primly on the table.

"We needed a new one, anyway." Once-ler excused himself, brushing off his pants and looking down at the splintered up chair and sighing, "I just mopped, too."

* * *

The tent floor was ruined, a large hunk torn up from where the chair had landed and Juniper put a rug over it until they could get it repaired, "If you keep destroying the tent we're not going to have a place to sleep." she warned him him in amusement as he finished shoving the last of the broken wood into a basket to be carried to the firewood he was slowly collecting for winter.

Once-ler gave her a sheepish grin and she laughed, rolling out the pie crust onto the counter, his mother looking over her shoulder ever five minutes. She turned to look at the woman, an eyebrow arched and an comeback already waiting to be thrown back if she said anything, however she just continued to watch quietly so she returned her attention back to her project. "Chett, I've got some pie fillings in that bottom cabinet over there, would you bring me a couple?"

Chett was more than happy to oblige, "Which ones are you wanting?" he asked and she waved a hand to show that she didn't care. He placed two jars on the counter and she peered at them before setting the oven on three fifty, "Strawberry's okay, isn't it?"

"It's just fine, thank you." She grinned and he nodded happily before going back to his spot at the table as Once-ler came over to open the jars for her. She gave him a grin, "Trying to make up for wrecking the chair?" she teased, pushing him with her hip.

He pushed back and grinned, "Chairs come and go, but the memory lasts forever." he sighed romantically before leaning down and kissing her temple, "We'll try going into town again later and see about getting a new table and chair set, we need a bigger one anyway with Chett and Brett coming in for their daily feedings."

"What you need is a house, dear." His mother informed him from Juniper's other side and they both looked at her curiously, "Well you don't plan on living in a tent forever, do you?" she hadn't thought about it, actually. Turning to Once-ler she seen him thinking it over before shrugging, apparently he hadn't thought of it, either.

When the door opened they all looked up to see the Lorax walk in for his and ingore everyone as he picked up a clean coffee mug and filled it, humming to himself, "Getting a bit crowded in here." he said over his shoulder.

"That generally happens when you've got company over." Juniper tossed back, offering a splash of milk in his coffee wich he readily agreed to. "Isabella was telling us that we needed a house."

He looked over at the woman glaring at him and huffed, "You all going to live together like a big happy family?"

"Nope." Once-ler shot in before anyone else could and crossed his arms when his family looked at him, "I'm enjoying my own place, I break a chair and nobody yells at me." Juniper arched a brow at him and he grinned, "Well you didn't."

"Want me to?"

"No." he coughed and continued, "If I build a house it'll be for Juniper and I, we're to old to be living with my mother after all, right? What kind of successful businessman lives with his parents?" Brett and Chett gave him hidden thumbs up and he gave a slight nod to show he'd seen them. He threw an arm around Juniper's shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze, "Actually it sounds like a good idea to me, a nice house for Juniper to grow old in."

"Yes, because I'd have killed you at a young age." She joked, but the idea of it was nice. Maybe a little kitchenette in front of wide windows that overlooked the Truffla's and a bedroom that she didn't have to worry about waking up in feathers and fur. She shook her head and checked the temperature of the oven before sliding the pies in and closing it.

When someone knocked on the door again she frowned, but it just turned out to be a couple of men reporting that the factory was finished and ready to be used whenever he had enough people to man the machines. The Lorax huffed, "Calm down, I made sure everything was eco-friendly." Once-ler soothed, "I'll have to have about fifty extra people working for me, but the Thneeds will continue to be one hundred percent hand made, nothing to worry about."

"I'm not worried, Beanpole." He told Once-ler without batting an eye, "Just make sure you don't let all that success go to your head." The words sounded cryptic, with little warning bells going off in her head she looked over at Once-ler who met her eyes and gave a firm shake of his head and she read the message loud and clear; there was no reason to worry.

"Juniper will keep me grounded, right?" he asked her, eyebrows raised confidently with a large smile that made his eyes sparkle.

She nodded, "Absolutely, we wouldn't want to give up our cozy little life here, anyway." she confirmed, flashing a peace sign to the Lorax who grinned at them both before looking around, "So what happened to the other chair?"

All eyes went to Once-ler and he gave a nervous chuckle before deciding it might be a good idea to use the time to change his clothes. He casually gathered up a clean set, taking care to pocket the gloves and fetch a new hat from the shelf, before turning around and setting it on his head with a grin, "Juniper let me break it."

"What?!"

* * *

Authors Note: Whew! Once-ler and Juniper managed to shake off the first attempt at bringing her back and have made another advancement in their relationship as well! Way to go Oncie! I'm calling this an end to Falling Deep: Whatever it Takes (Book II) and will begin work on Falling Deep: Stand Your Ground (Book III)!

(Useless FYI: You've read well over 100 pages as of now! Yay! Which means I've **_written_** well over 100 phages as of now! _Double_ Yay!)

Release the fireworks!

Light the doves!

… Wait.


	12. Book III: Stand Your Ground

Falling Deep: Stand Your Ground

Authors Note: So we're on the final book of Falling Deep, won't be long until this story's over and I can start on The Good Girl; which I really, really want to do hence why I'm pounding out chapters like no tomorrow! Nevertheless, I will finish FD first before moving on to that whirlwind of a story.

FYI: There's heavy lime in this chapter that goes into descriptive detail. I had to take breaks from writing it. Yeah, not playing, I might even have to change the rating (so I'll wave some of you goodbye now since it might be against your morals to read a rated M fiction, sorry). But since I'm doing that I might as well squeeze in a lemon, it'll probably be in two or three chapters just before the ending of the story because I hate it when it's back to back, feels trashy somehow.

On the bright side, I'm intentionally giving you a much longer chapter to read to make up for the length of the lime (yeah, it's kind of long) so I hope you can forgive me, sorry!

* * *

"Wouldn't it be better if you just had the house built?" Once-ler heard his mother ask as he carefully measured the large wooden plank covered in grayish purple paint, "At least buy new supplies, it's filthy!"

Once-ler grinned and smoothed his hand over the board, "It comes with memories already attached to it, mom, I'd rather use it." he told her, using a thick flat pencil to mark where he needed to cut before looking up at her unimpressed face. "It's going to be repainted anyways, who cares what it looks like now?"

She shook her head, "You're becoming so stubborn, Oncie." she sighed and he smirked at the unintended compliment, "It's no doubt the fault of that woman." he nodded his head in agreement and started picked up the small electric saw he'd bought. "Why do you look so pleased over it?"

"You date her and find out." he teased and she stared at him before understanding it was a joke, "Would you relax, there are worse things to become than stubborn." he made the cut and put the board along with the others he'd already done and lifted the next, pulling his measuring tape from his pocket to hold along the length before making a mark on the board and repeating the process.

Finished with that he stood back and took a long look at the framework that he'd already set up, his brothers were busily hauling tiling off a flatbed and he waved them over. "You guys remember to buy the dry wall or do I have to go back into town for that?"

Brett shrugged, "We bought it, but they didn't have it in the store when we went to pick it up." he answered, his thumbs coming up to hitch onto his overall straps, "They said they'd have it by afternoon so we'll go and get it then."

"This is why I told you to just hire someone." His mother said behind him and he gave a tired look to his brothers who grinned and gave him a 'we don't care' shrug and he narrowed his eyes at them. They were getting cockier every day they spent annoying the hell out of him in his tent as they mooched free meals off him. "You boys never listen to a word I say."

"Did you say something?" Once-ler asked, eyes his brows darting up in mock shock as his brothers chortled behind him, his mother glared and he gave a grin, "I was kidding, mom, get a sense of humor. It'll keep you young." at that she reached into her purse and snatched out her little pocket mirror to inspect for wrinkles and his brothers laughed harder, he shook his head at them and whispered, "I think she's seriously looking for wrinkles, guys, you want to be caught laughing if she finds one?"

Smiles gone they turned to run back to the truck when Juniper walked out of the tent with a large platter full of iced tea and almond cookies, "I found them at the store yesterday, couldn't resist getting some." she explained as they gathered around for the snack, "They taste better with hot tea, but I'm sure cold won't hurt the flavor to much."

"Tastes fine to me!" Chett grinned, snatching a handful and shoving them in his overall's front pocket until he couldn't fit anymore an, then taking another handful along with a glass of tea, "I love visiting you guys, you've always got the good stuff."

Once-ler snorted and picked up a glass for himself, "Visiting is when you stay for an hour or two and leave, not stay all day and leave for an hour or two; you've practically moved in " his brothers grinned proudly at him and he rolled his eyes and squared Juniper a stern look, "It's because you constantly let them in, you're starting something that you won't be able to stop."

She shrugged away his warning and set the tray down on the measured stack of wood before sitting next to it, looking at the house frame, and grinning, "That's why I wanted a two story house, bottom for company, top for privacy." she nodded as though it would solve all the worlds problems and he laughed, biting into a cookie and chewing on it before deciding that he liked it and eying his older brother's full pocket and the nearly empty plate that Brett and his mother were working on.

"I'm making pancakes tonight and you're not invited, Chett." He decided, earning a shocked look from his older brother followed by a groan as he unloaded some of his cookie hoard back onto the plate, "Try a little more and then we'll talk."

"Knock it off, hag, I'm not pregnant!" Juniper snapped, bringing the attention of the men towards her and his mother as the older woman persistently tried to touch the younger's stomach while she fended her off. "There's certain actions that you have to do before getting into that state that I haven't practiced so I can tell you for a fact, stop trying to goad me!"

His mother huffed, "You're not pulling a fast one on me, you can't be sleeping with a man in his bed and not be sleeping with him." she insisted, going for Juniper's stomach again, "I can see the bulge though your shirt, you're not even trying to hid it; now I don't see what the problem is, just let me feel my grand baby!"

Once-ler quickly stood up and grabbed his mother's wrists, however the damage had already been done and Juniper's eyes were wide and horrified, "Are you calling me fat?!" she looked down and jabbed the small bump over her jeans, her finger sunk in and she blinked, "Good lord, I'm fat!"

"Pregnant women aren't _fat_." His mother sighed.

Once-ler's eyebrows shot up in the air as his brothers howled with laughter, "Stop it, mom, we really haven't done anything!" he hissed at her. She gave him a disbelieving frown, "Really, stop!"

"I've never had a bump before, I can't believe this!" Juniper cried out, poking her belly again before looking at the cookies and wailing. Once-ler threw her a frown before rolling his eyes and letting his mother go, if they wanted to be crazy they could be crazy, "I'm never eating bread again, it's because of all that pie!"

"Well you have to learn to control your cravings, you'll never get your figure back if you just eat everything in sight." His mother stated smoothly, "Look at me, thin as a rail at the age of twenty-nine after having three baby boys."

Juniper stared at her, "I'm not pregnant, cow!" she picked up a cookie and made to throw it at her but Once-ler snatched it from the air and walked away eating it, looking at his brothers and shaking his head as they collapsed together he-hawing so much that they had to clutch their stomachs. "Stop laughing, I'm never making pie again!"

They continued laughing and Once-ler slid the first board from the pile and dragged it over his shoulder to carry to the house frame, waving Chett and Brett over to hold it in place as he nailed it in; "She pregnant?"

"No." Once-ler snapped at Brett, "We haven't done anything, she's not pregnant." he looked over his shoulder and seen his mother go for Juniper's wrist as the girl kept poking her stomach, "I have a feeling that our days of sweets and snacks is over for a while, boys." he sighed, Juniper went to smack at his mother's hands and the woman skitter back.

Chett yelped and Once-ler looked over at him to see him near to tears, "She's really going to stop making us pies?" he nodded sadly and the older man looked helplessly at the plate of cookies before running over and snatching the rest from the plate, stuffing them in his pocket and coming back with a frightened look on his face, "You'll still make pancakes though, right?"

"Like she could stop me." Once-ler cackled as he stood up to retrieve another board.

His mother tugged his arm as he was lifting it over his shoulder, "She's going to poke the brains clear out of it's head before it's even born!" she insisted and he sighed, pushing her away gently and lifting the board over his shoulder to carry back, "You'll be sorry when your baby comes out ugly and stupid!"

"I'm not pregnant!"

* * *

Later that night Once-ler sat at the table and watched as Juniper continued to weakly poke at her stomach, wondering if she intended to do it until it went away; "Just do some situps." he sighed, looking down at the papers in his hands. She glared at him but chose to ignore him and poke her stomach again, "If you don't stop I'm telling mom you're having a boy."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "It's not funny, do you know what it's like to have people asking if you're _pregnant_ when you're not?" he looked, wondering if she completely thought that scenario out before belting it at him. "I don't get it, we're eating the exact same things and you're as thin as ever! Why am I the only one gaining weight?"

"Because I'm building a house and you're baking pie." He told her flatly, "You're worried over nothing, anyhow, so you have a little bump on your belly, lay down and I'll use it as a pillow. Problem solved." he grinned and stood up to do just that and she frowned at him as he crawled over her on the bed and put his head on her stomach.

"Well I don't know how to build a house, do I?" she asked snottily, petting his hair in the way that he liked, her nails lightly scratching against his scalp with each slow caress and he sighed pleasantly, "I'll start doing situps tomorrow, but I'm really not going to make anymore deserts until this goes away." he shrugged, not really caring. With her not baking all the time Chett and Brett might even stop coming around in the mornings to scavenge the leftovers they didn't eat the night before, "Why haven't you told me that I'm not fat?"

"I don't argue with crazy people." he informed her lightly, turning onto his belly so he could press his face into hers, ignoring the slight jerk of his hair that she pulled for revenge on calling her mental health into question. She was soft and warm, if she thought just pulling his hair would get him off her then she really was crazy. She pulled his hair again and he gripped her wrist, "Stop picking on me, I'm listening to our baby."

That earned him a sharp jab in his back and he flinched before laughing and lightly biting her stomach for revenge. She cried out in shock and tried to push him off but he licked his lips and clung to her, "You know, that didn't taste to bad."

"Don't." He ignored the single worded command that somehow sounded nearly as threatening as a gun being put to his head and pulled her shirt up, but her hands quickly brought her shirt back down and she made to wiggle away, "Damn you, Once, this is why people think we're doing things that we're not!" she cried out as he licked her stomach, making her squeal in disgusted laughter, "That's so gross!"

"Tastes great though." She kicked out and he laughed, wrestling her down to drag his teeth across her belly button before she managed to turn in his arms, wiggling away in the greatest way possible, "I vote you do that all night, you'll lose weight and I'll have the best time of my life." she kicked his shin with her heal and he grunted before dragging his teeth across the smooth skin of her back. "Wow, this part tastes good, too."

"I'm going to kill you!" She snapped, her hands coming up to the edge of the bed to try and pull herself out of his grip, "I'm going to rip you apart, set you on fire, and dance around the ashes." he ignored her in favor for tickling her stomach, smiling happily at the loud gasping laughter that shook through her body until she managed one great heave and slipped out from under him, falling to the floor in a wonderful tumble that he would have, at any other time, been impressed with. She picked herself up and glared over the edge of the mattress at him, giving him only a split second to hop off the bed and sprint for the door before she gave chase.

He managed to get outside and was half way to the water when she tackled him to the soft grass and had his nice clean white shirt covered in grass stains in no time as she tried to wrestle it up so she could tickle the pale skin below it. "Help! There's a chubby psychotic model trying to steal my cookies!" he shouted, she stopped her assault to blink down at him in shock and he slowly smirked at her.

"You have no idea the amount of hell I'm going to put you through now." she warned darkly and he blinked at her in wide eyed innocence before she restarted her assault, finally managing to get the shirt up and popping a few buttons in the process before her fingers dug lightly into his belly. He laid smugly under her, however, and it took her a few seconds to realize her attack was failing before she sat on him and glared, "Your stomach isn't ticklish?"

"'Fraid not, but I firmly encourage you to keep trying." she slapped his stomach and he jerked up in pained surprise before grabbing her waist and rolling out from under her, throwing her over his shoulder, "That hurt." he told her sternly despite the large smile on his face as he walked steadily towards the smooth water of the river, "You're not supposed to hurt the ones you love, Juni."

"What are you doing?" she looked under his arm and started kicking, her arms coming around to wrap about his middle tightly, "Don't you dare!"

"That's not going to help you." He shook his head sadly as he kicked his shoes off and stepped into the cold water, shivering at the sharp bite against his skin, "Wow, you're really not going to like this, it's freezing." he warned.

"Stop, I'm sorry! Don't!" She yelped before he found a deep enough spot and took a large gulp of air. He waited just long enough to hear her sharp intake of breath before falling over sideways. The water swallowed them both and he released her when she let go of him, coming up for air with a trembling gasp just a split second before her and giving her a large grin.

"You look good in blue." She splashed him and he laughed, not bothering to dodge as she repeatedly gushed large waves at his head, he was already soaked anyhow and if it kept her from strangling him he was all for staying a little damp. When she finished he pushed his wet hair from his face and watched her stand up and glare down at him, her ire having been inflamed past breaking point and he wondered if he didn't, perhaps, make her a little to angry for his own good.

She twisted her hair to squeeze the water from it before whipping it around her head and he had to scamper out of the way of the now deadly locks of bronze, "You're going to be very sorry about this, Once-ler." she vowed, pointing at him with a trembling finger.

He blinked at her, "I love you." she continued to point at him and he gave her a worried smile, "You're the most beautiful, non-fat, generous, and kind woman I've ever had the pleasure to know."

She turned around and slowly pushed her legs through the water until she could climb up to the bank and slosh back to the tent in measured and controlled steps and he quickly followed after her, jogging until he was beside her, "Smart, too." he added, looking at her blank face hopefully. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes and he gave a nervous giggle, "Sorry?"

She stepped into the tent and walked over to the dresser, pulling out a set of his dry pajamas and he sighed, "I'm really so-" he choked himself off when she pulled her shirt over her head and let it drop to the floor with a damp thud before unbuttoning her pants and wiggled them over her hips, her blue stripped panties dragging down on one side to just below her hips as she freed them and pulled them down her thighs in a single bend. Stepping out of them she looked over her shoulder, smirked, and gave another wiggle of her hips before sashaying towards the bathroom.

"I'll sleep on the couch tonight." she told him over her shoulder as she paused outside the bathroom door, throwing him the single most seductive look he'd ever been given, "Without my panties." the door shut and he stood dripping in the same spot staring at the empty space until the door opened back up and she came in wearing nothing but his bunny pajama top. Taking his pillow and blanket she carried them to the couch and laid down, covering herself up cozily, "'Nite, Once-ler, sleep well."

* * *

Juniper woke slowly, stretching out over the couch and opening her eyes to see two tortured grayish green eyes staring at her pleadingly and yelped, jerking herself upright, "What the hell are you doing?" she looked out the window and seen that it was still dark and turned to look incredulously at him, "Did you actually sit there staring at me until I woke up? That's way to creepy, Once!"

"You're practically naked, it's not fair!" he howled, thumping a fist on the pillow, "In my pajama top, on my couch, that's not right, Juniper! I only made you a little bit wet-"

"You threw me in the river!" She snapped, picking up the pillow and smacking him with it, "Molested me and threw me in the river, you're getting your just deserts!" he let himself get smacked two more times before she realized he wasn't fighting back and stopped, looking at him curiously to see him watching her pitifully. She sighed and put the pillow in her lap, "Go get me some panties and I'll put them on."

"No, it's to late for that." He shook his head, "I already buried them."

She looked at him before standing up and walking over to the drawers, opening them to find her panties still rolled neatly into little rows and picked a pair up and turned to see him dragging the couch out of the tent, "What the _hell_, Once-ler?!"

He looked up before doubling his efforts and she ran over to try and pull the couch back before he made it completely out of the tent with it, her panties thrown angrily to the floor, "Have you lost your ever loving mind? Stop it!" he was winning the tug-of-war and the couch was slowly being pulled outside.

"Don't be so unreasonable, I'll burn the damn thing and this won't happen again." He looked up at her and smirked, "Go lay down, this will only take a few minutes."

"I'm not letting you burn the couch!" she snapped, heaving on her side uselessly until giving up and scrambling over the arm to sit on it before he could get it further into the yard and looking at him like he had blown sanity clear out of the water and shot it past the moon. His face was red and his breathing heavy with stumbling steps and she frowned, "Are you okay?" he nodded and she carefully crawled over to him, lifting a hand to touch his brow before staring at him, "Are you sick?"

He looked at her before touching his own head and pulling his hand down to stare at it, "Well, my shoulders do ache a little." he admitted, frowning at his fingers and rubbing them together, "I might be sick."

She flattened her palm over his brow and gasped, "Good lord, Once-ler, you've got a fever and you're trying to move the couch?" she shook her head and pulled him over the arm of the couch, nearly dragging him across the other to get him back inside the tent and pushing him to the bed, "Go lay down." he glared at her and she pushed him again, "Go lay down, I'm not playing. You're going to kill yourself over a couch?" shaking her head she turned and started pulling it back in.

Once she got it past the threshold again she sighed and shut the door, deciding to wait until the morning to move it back to where he'd pulled it from and turned to see him staring at her. "Lay down, Once-ler." she sighed, picking the pillow and blanket from the couch and walking over to the bed, crawling in herself, "Come on, lay down."

He sighed and got in bed, putting his head on the pillow she set down for him before hugging her closely and she covered him up, "Only you would get yourself sick making me miserable." she told him, annoyed with herself for not noticing sooner. Why else would he lie about her panties and try to burn the couch? Even he wasn't that random, "Let me get you a fever reducer from the medicine cabinet."

He curled around her, pressing her back to his bare chest and she sighed. If he wanted to snuggle she'd let him snuggle, the important thing was that he got some rest in the end, right? "I'm sorry I buried your panties."

She rolled her eyes and patted his arm, "It's okay, Once, you didn't bury my panties." she comforted him, laughing softly in amusement and he squeezed her.

"Then I'm sorry I'm going to bury your panties." He corrected and she scrunched her eyebrows before rolling her eyes, letting him squeeze her in a near painfully tight hug before his grip slackened. After a few moments she felt him relax and sighed, closing her eyes and going back to sleep as well, chances were he'd sleep off the sickness and be better than ever in the morning and she wanted to be well rested so she could yell at him for trying to burn the couch in his delusional haze.

* * *

_**This is the part where you blush**_

_**and turn away before your**_

_**eyes burn to ashes.**_

* * *

Once-ler awoke with Juniper in his arms and gave a large yawn before feeling a nagging headache squeeze around his head and groaned, pressing his face into golden hair that smelled like stale shampoo and remembering that he'd dunked them both in the river the night before. Then he remembered her revenge for it and chose to ignore the headache in favor for smoothing his hand across her naked hips and giving a surprised gasp when not even a thread separated his flesh from hers.

"Best morning ever." He happily sighed, lightly rubbing the naked hips that were attached to the naked bottom pressing nicely against him until the full realization hit him and he jerked his hand off her, yanking it free of the blanket and raising it into the air. She was going to wake up and think he'd raped her or something; the best morning ever theory thrown out of his head and he considered the many different reactions she would give him, each one ending with murder.

She sighed in her sleep and wiggled against him and he stifled the harsh groan that nearly burst from his throat; he was in so much trouble. He was going to die, and it would no doubt be a painful death.

He heard his door open and bang into something hard before looking over his shoulder and frowning when he spotted the couch, why was it in front of the door. He seen the Lorax poke his head in and frown at it as well, "Why's a couch-" he stopped and looked at the couple on the bed before blinking at them and slowly pulling his head back out, closing the door softly

"Come back!" Once-ler hissed, however there was no answer and he was left alone with his eventual murderer once more. Why was the couch in front of the door? That would only make things worse on him, someone needed to move it! Juniper moaned and shifted against him again and try as he might he couldn't restrain his body's reaction, his hand formed a fist in the air and he brought it down to his mouth to bite harshly on his knuckle in attempt to distract himself from it.

His other arm was stretched out below her head, her hair entangled around it so much that he couldn't even budge it, he was screwed. There was no getting up and moving the couch, there was no scooting away, there was no getting out of the dangerous path he had woken to find himself in aside from waking her up and trying to explain what he had no idea how to explain.

When he actually managed to bite through the flesh of his knuckle painfully and found himself still in danger of an arousal he gave up and let himself enjoy. If he was going to die then he would die deserving the death that awaited him anyways and let his hand creep back under the covers to smooth over her naked stomach, tracing the small circle of her belly button and letting a slow sigh escape as her back arched against his naked chest. He could feel the smooth skin of her back against his own bare stomach and moved his hand to her hip again, holding it lightly in his hand and pushing his growing erection against her backside and letting out a deep growl when she sleepily sighed.

There was no way in hell that he could stop his hand from moving down her hips, lightly caressing her outer thigh as he slowly smoothed his palm between the soft flesh of her inner thigh; especially not when he heard his name lightly murmured from her sleeping lips as she pushed her bottom against him and shiver in his arms.

He looked at her face and trembled himself; her lips were partially open to let hot panting breaths escape in quick bursts, her brow furrowed from his attention to areas that had previously gone unexplored. When he freed his hand and pressed it against her sex she moaned, her eyes opening slightly to blink in confusion as her pink tongue came out to moisten her lips. She must have realized what he was doing because her hand went to his wrist to pull it away and he quickly took her lips in his own, thrusting his tongue into her surprised mouth to lick and tease the soft slippery muscle.

She turned her head to free her lips, but he attacked again, kissing her roughly as his fingers found a slick warm little bud and he pressed against it, earning a drugged moan from the girl in his arms. She twisted her hips and pressed them against his waiting hand. Her muscles twitched and he curled himself over her, his lips molding against hers as he tried to taste every last inch of her, smoothing across the back of her teeth and gently licking the roof of her mouth.

When her tongue finally slid across his own he trembled, luring it into his mouth to gently suckle before releasing it to kiss the corner of her lips, murmuring her name as he pinched the small nub between her legs. Her legs trembled and she gasped his name softly, "I'm sorry." he whispered, letting his fingers travel down to the silken wet folds. Her legs parted slightly for him and he slid a finger into her.

"W-wait." she gasped, her hands coming to push against his chest. He nodded, but his finger didn't seem to understand and continued in until it was completely inside and he groaned. It was warm, wet, slippery; like wet velvet, and when he wiggled it just right her nails would rake across his chest in response. "Juniper, I can't, I'm sorry." he sighed, biting lightly at her lips, "Just let me, it's okay."

She shook her head, but her hips moved against his hand and she could only pant, "It'll be okay, I won't do more than touch, I promise." he slipped his finger back out slowly and she made a long low noise of pleasure. He licked his lips, his eyes darting down to watch as he slowly slipped his middle finger back in, "See, it's okay, just touching." she shook her head and he wiggled his finger, "Please say it's okay, Juni, because I don't think I can stop myself even if you don't."

She shook her head and tried to move away from him and he wrapped her in his arms, bringing her flush against his chest. His finger came back out and rubbed the small nub, enjoying the wiggling hips that she pressed ageist him before she suddenly tore herself from his hands to shakily get to her feet and stumble awkwardly from the bed.

"What do you think you're doing." he shook his head and held his arms out to her, "No, Once, it's wrong!"

"No it's not, come back." he begged, his fingers curling in the air, "It's okay, I'm right here and I always will be, come back."

She stared at him, her wide eyes so dark he wasn't sure if they'd turned completely black or if they'd just become so dark he couldn't tell the difference. She took a hesitant step back towards him and he nodded, "Good girl, come back. I won't do anything else but touch, I swear." he wasn't sure if he could keep the promise, but he didn't care. He wanted her in his arms so badly that it hurt when she wasn't.

"It's bad, Once, we're not married-"

"We might as well be, come back!" He begged, getting to his knees and reaching for her, he grabbed her hand loosely and pulled her back to the bed when someone knocked on the door. He looked over at it before pressing his lips over hers. "They'll go away." he urged, trying to mentally decapitate whoever was at his door.

"Oncie, are you awake?" he heard his mother ask and damned her to hell for it. Juniper was shocked back to reality and she tried to pull her lips from his but he kept them firmly clamped together. "She'll go away." he whispered, against the dark softness of her mouth, "Stay with me, right here, let me touch you."

She shook her head, "That's enough touching, Once-ler, she'll open the door anyways, how do we explain this to her?"

"Why do we have to?" she tried to get out of his arms but he hugged her to his chest, he was throbbing all over and knew that if she got away he wouldn't be able to stand the pain, "Please, Juni, just choose me, okay?"

"Are you two awake?" The door knocked again and he hoped fervently that she would just walk away.

Juniper looked nearly ready to cry and he sighed, letting his hands slowly release their grip, she wasn't going to agree and he wasn't going to continue forcing himself on her and make himself hated forever afterward for it. "I'll stop."

* * *

Once-ler's mother knocked again and Juniper's eyes flew to the door, uncomfortably moving her throbbing legs before looking back at the depressed man sitting on the bed. His muscles were twitching and his face was tense and she nearly let a nervous laugh escape when she realized that the sun from the kitchen window was making his skin glisten.

Dark hair wildly tangled and his fists digging in the mattress, he looked like an angry rock god wearing out of place bunny pajamas that, for some wild reason, had never looked better on him. Even his eyes were a dark blue that she'd never seen them be ever before; he was intense, dark, brooding, and she couldn't help but feel a little pride swell in her chest. He was hers, she was the only one to ever see the mess he'd become and she had been the one to make him like that.

She licked her lips and slowly crept towards him, her fingers shakily combing through his dark locks and his eyes jerked up to hers in surprise. "She'll go away." she whispered, her voice sounding weak even to her own ears. He nodded quickly, his arms coming around her waist and pulling her to him so he could press his face against her stomach.

His fingers nimbly slipped the buttons from the holes of the partner piece of his pajamas until he could press warm wet kissing to her abdomen, his hands sneaking in through to trace against her rib cage and leaving burning trails of fire in their wake. His mother knocked on the door again, but she could hardly even hear the sound outside of the steady pulse of blood rushing through her head, leaving her feeling dizzy and weak.

He gave a gentle pull and she tumbled into his lap willingly as he whispered soothing sounds to her, his fingers seemingly everywhere; expertly tuning her with his long talented and work roughened fingers. He pulled the top free of her shoulders and she helped to shrug out of it, leaving it where ever he'd thrown it and immediately forgetting it ever even existed to begin with.

His lips nuzzled the hollow spot of her neck before trailing down to her nipple, gently taking it into his lips and she gasped when his hot tongue flicked across it, nipping his teeth against bud before suckling it. She arched to him, her arms wrapping around his neck as electricity shocked through her sharply and she gasped from the shock as she felt him press her firmly against his hardness, her name nothing but a sound growled out of his throat.

He released her nipple and her eyes widened as the cool air quickly replaced the warm wetness of his tongue before he took the other into his mouth, a hand coming up to massage the firm tip, teasing it as he dragged his tongue across the other as he pressed himself firmly against the throbbing pressure that had long since formed between her legs and she moaned his name, rocking slightly to relieve the pressure.

When he rolled her under him he looked down at her, his hands smoothing over her breasts down to her belly, firmly pressing into her flesh as he breathed heavily above her with eyes so bright she could hardly stand to look in them. They were electric, filling her with his energy and greedily taking hers into them with each second that he looked at her and she turned her face to keep herself from catching fire from his gaze.

"It's okay." He whispered to her again, his fingers pulling her chin back so that his eyes could devour her, burn her to nothing more than a pile of ash to be blown away with a breath, "It's okay." she shook her head, it wasn't okay but she was fine with that, and as she reached for him he rewarded her with a drugging smile that inflamed her senses, turning everything around until the only thing that made sense any longer was him.

She trailed her palms across his back and delighted in the feel of his muscles twitching under her fingertips as he gasped for air and kissed her, sucking her breath from her lungs to his and drowning her in pure sensation. Nothing else mattered so long as he kept touching her, so long as she could touch him. The outside world could shrivel and die and she wouldn't give it a seconds worth of mourning, and as his fingers found the small nub between her legs once more she was sure that it had.

She couldn't stop her legs from moving despite her hardest efforts, and her hips wouldn't stop following the slow circles that his fingers made against her. Her name shuddered out of his mouth as though he couldn't help but say it and she moaned in response before his finger once more sank within her.

He was whispering to her again, but she couldn't hear any of it as his eyes stared into hers through tangled dark brown hair with an intensity she didn't know they were capable of. Hard and focused with a tiny crease between them and she raked her fingers through his hair so he could see them clearly. She must have pulled because he flinched, however his eyes remained on hers before his mouth dove to meet hers, thrusting deeply and capturing each unrestrained whimper she couldn't hope to hold.

The fire in her belly grew and she desperately grasped his shoulders, a slow fear making itself known in the back of her mind as her nerves went up in flames, threatening to tear her apart. She tried to push him away, to tell him she was dying, but he wouldn't budge and his tongue continued to move inside her mouth when lights suddenly burst in her eyes and her every muscle tensed; the world shattered around her to the rhythm of his fingers leaving nothing but sparks of color and light to simmer into darkness and a surprised scream that was swallowed whole by the man above her.

As her world fell around her those steady bright blue eyes never strayed once until all her strength left her and it became a difficult chore to even breath. His lips came down to play lightly against her own and she sluggishly wrapped her arms around his neck and tiredly returned them as her eyes drooped.

* * *

She fell asleep in his arms, her muscles still twitching from the aftermath and as he slowly removed his fingers from inside her he swore he would never forget the dark pools of a blue so dark they'd crossed into violet only to fall into black as she'd nearly convulsed under his hands. He felt a hallow satisfaction from her release and sat back to stare at the still blushing body in front of him, his fingers lightly brushing light bruises he'd unintentionally left behind and grinned at the proof left behind.

She would no doubt wake up and see them, they would confirm to her what he'd done to her and he greatly looked forward to doing even more in the future. He looked down at himself and seriously contemplated finding his own release, but even the thought of it seemed to cheapen his memories; so he pressed a soft kiss on her lips before uncomfortably standing and going towards his bathroom to blast himself with realities freezing water.

* * *

_**It's okay to open your eyes!**_

"Shit." he had a problem.

Hitting the shower tiles he looked down at his still raging member and cursed again. Though it had lessened dramatically it was still swollen and throbbed, the water was biting painfully at his skin he could only blame the images of Juniper's writhing body and his inability to put them in the back of his mind.

Sighing, he turned the water off and dried himself before stepping into a fresh set of clothing and looking at himself in the mirror. He almost turned and missed the small reddish brown mark at the base of his neck that was half covered by his shirt, and when it caught a glimpse of it through the corner of his eye and turned back to move his shirt aside he smiled dumbly at it before doing the top button that he would have otherwise left undone before turning and leaving the bathroom in a slightly better mood. At least he'd have something to defend himself with when Juniper caught a glimpse of her own body in the mirror.

He paused at the sight of his naked girlfriend tangled in his sheets and his grin widened before tearing his eyes away and pulling the tangled sheet around her, tucking it about her body until he was sure it wouldn't move and turned to the couch. He still wasn't entirely sure why it was moved in front of the door, but he was thankful that it had been and sent a thank you to whoever had done it; which had to have been him or Juniper.

So he probably just thanked himself... He thank himself again and began tugging the small couch back to where it was supposed to be and turned to make a pot of coffee, humming happily to himself as he turned the little switch on and sat at his table. His gloating was doing nothing to help his situation, however so long as he didn't move from the table he could hide his shame and have no one else the wiser.

Juniper sighed in the bed and his smile grew until there was another knock on his door, then it fell and he frowned, not knowing how to answer the door without anyone figuring out his problem. He also couldn't just shout for them to enter and let them come in in case Juniper decided to roll over in her sleep, which she was prone to doing if he wasn't laying next to her. "Oncie, are you awake yet?" his mother sighed and he shrugged. He wasn't awake yet, he was sleeping in. "I smell the coffee, open up this door or I'm coming in."

He jumped up and ran over to the door, locking it in place and scrambling away with the irrational thought that she might just bust through anyhow. "Did you just lock the door?!" he groaned as the handle turned, "You just locked the door on me, how dare you?"

He looked over at Juniper in panic and tried to ease his furiously beating heart, she was never going to let him hear the end of it if his mother found out what they'd been up to. "Once-ler, you open up this door this instant!"

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

He hurriedly picked his phone up from his nightstand and called Brett, his heart beating madly in his chest until the older man picked up on the fifth ring, "Hello?"

"Get mom, now!" He hissed into the phone. He heard the tell-tell crunch of grass and ran for the kitchen window, letting the flap down and zipping it into place before she could peek inside and the coffee pot beeped, alerting both to the fact that the coffee was done. Yippee.

Brett laughed, "What's wrong? She catch you with your pants down?"

"Don't ask questions, get her!" He whispered harshly, running over to the other windows and zipping them closed as well before she could get the idea to peek through them. His brother laughed again and hung up, leaving Once-ler to stare at his phone blankly before calling Chett, who didn't bother answering at all.

Then he heard it, bellowed out loudly to echo across the forest and fell to his knees in thanks as the yelps, hollers, and insults flew outside his tent and his mother yelped, "What are you two fighting about? Stop it this instant!"

"I am buying you two _so_ many pies." He swore to them, clasping his hands and bowing his head in honer to the two who were now getting loudly lectured as they continued their fight. Juniper groaned and slowly sat up, rubbing her neck and doing her little feline stretch that he was always a fan of before looking at him in confusion.

"Why are you sitting there like that?" she asked, frowning at him before memories of less than an hour ago sunk in and he got the added perk of watching her blush all over again as she snatched the forgotten sheets to her chest and hurriedly stumbled from the bed, tripping onto him from a misplaced step. He caught her and nuzzled her neck, kissing it lightly as she fought to get up, laughing until she jerked on his ear, "Let me get dressed!"

He rubbed his ear as she riffled through the closet and pouted at her back, "That's some way to treat me after leaving me high and dry like that." she froze. For several seconds she stayed in front of the closet, not moving even an inch, before turning to look at him with a face the same color as a tomato. She opened her mouth, took a step towards him, then turned back around to riffle through the closet before turning back around and he rolled his eyes. "Please don't do the weird dance shuffle thing, I'm not complaining or anything."

She blinked at him, her face somehow growing redder, before randomly snatching something and running to the bathroom with it. She came out a second later and exchanged his suit for a pair of red shorts and a yellow tank top before returning to the bathroom. Once-ler waited for the expected return and wasn't disappointed when she stormed out of the bathroom and stopped in front of him. "What's this?" she pointed to her neck and chest, the kiss marks he'd left behind clearly showing from under the yellow top.

"Looks like a bug bit you." He stated, undoing his button and giving her an evil grin, "It got me, too, see?"

Her mouth dropped open to stare wide eyed at the mark before she did the weird shuffle dance he'd only moments ago asked her not to do, "You're going to hurt yourself doing that one of these days." He stood up from the ground and redid the button, giving her a large smile before walking over to the bed and remaking it, "Coffee's brewed, but I'd suggest a different shirt."

"Yeah." She mumbled, shaking her head, "I don't have anything that's going to cover... Give me your Thneed." she jerked it off the wall before he could get to it and threw it over her arm before grabbing a black short sleeved t-shirt and going to the bathroom to change again. She returned shortly after with the marks hidden from view under the Thneed and glared at him, "I only left _one_!"

"I know, how disappointed are you?" he asked playfully and she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Giving her a cheerful grin he turned and made them both coffee's and put it on the table, "Relax, drink your coffee and wake up. We'll head into town today and pick up the dry wall-"

"I want a new kitchen table." She narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to argue and he nodded, "You never replaced the chair, either."

"Stop making yourself angry to cover your embarrassment, it's cute but it's not getting us on the road any faster." He informed her and she flushed again at being called out for it. Smiling he sat in his chair and leaned back, watching her join him at the table from over the mugs rim and tentatively sip at her own when his mother returned to knocking on the door and sent her back into doing her shuffle dance.

He motioned for her to sit down and she quickly did so as he answered the door and let the older woman in, "Well it's about time! Do you have any idea what your brothers were doing? Fighting over a cookie!" she stared at him wide eyed, "Why are they still arguing over cookies at their age?"

He shrugged his shoulders, standing aside to let her in and seeing his two older brothers standing proudly outside the RV. He gave them both a thumbs up and closed the door, "I have no idea, I guess some people just never grow up; I'll take them to town with Juniper and I when we go to get the rest of the building supplies in an hour or two and get them our of your hair for a bit."

She patted his cheek, "You're such a good boy- Why are you blushing like that?" she was looking at the guilty blush on Juniper and crossed over the room to her. "You're looking like you've done something wrong, what is it?"

"Don't treat me like that, this is my hou-tent!" Juniper defended herself, her eyes darting over to him for help and he quickly stood beside her.

Clearing his throat he nodded, "Juniper's right, mom, whatever she does in here is her business and she doesn't have to share it with you."

"Does what?"

"Wow, I'm sure ready to go!" Juniper jumped up from the table and ran outside before his mother could question her further, leaving him alone to deal with the now suspicious woman staring at him with her hands on her hips. He looked at her blankly and picked up his coffee, sipping at it casually with a shrug.

"What were you two doing this morning?" She asked slowly.

He had no answer for that, but he shrugged, "We decided to lay in and watch TV but she's convinced you all think we were doing something else because _someone_ kept insinuating she was pregnant yesterday." he answered smoothly, surprising even himself with the effortless lie as he stuck a hand in his pocket.

His mother blinked, "Oh, is that all? I was only teasing her a little she doesn't have to act so hyper over it." she sighed, shaking her head, "Anyhow I just wanted to tell you that the factory opens next week and we've posted adds where we could to generate publicity."

He nodded, taking another sip and setting the cup onto the table, "Well, since she's ready to go I guess I'd better head out as well." he told her, reaching down to pick up her shoes and put his own on, "Feel free to stick around and drink the rest of the coffee, love you!" he shut the door and went out to see his brother's talking happily with the blonde. "You all ready to go?"

"We're going, too?" the men asked and he nodded. They high-fived each other before climbing into the backseat of the truck and jumper quickly got into the passenger side as he climbed in the drivers, "Why are we going?"

"Because I owe you one and I'm starting it off with an all-you-can-carry pie deal that I know you won't refuse." he answered, pulling off towards town as they cheered in the backseat, "Of course, this means you never breath a word of this ever, you forget it happened and remember only that one of you really wanted that cookie."

"He _did_ eat the last cookie." Brett laughed, "He always does."

"Yes I did." Chett grinned.

"I have no idea what's going on anymore." Juniper sighed, looking at him curiously before shrugging and sliding him a secret grin for his eyes alone. His life was hectic, but no matter what he wouldn't trade it for anything. Juniper turned around and smiled at the men in the backseat, "You boys want to help me pick out the most expensive table I can find?"

He frowned at her and she happily tapped the Thneed at her neck, turning his dark look into a snort of laughter, "Yep, spare no expenses, just make sure it's about six and a half feet long." she gave him an odd look and he whistled the rest of the way to town.

* * *

Loading the dry wall and the seven foot table was a piece of cake compared to loading the pies and Once-ler wasn't quiet sure they could even eat them all before they went bad, but he did so without complaint. Not even when he signed for another thirty to be delivered next week. What he complained about was trying to figure out how to get out of the truck without upending the pies in his lap, "Get Uncle Ubb and Aunt Grizelda out here to help us out with these, they don't do anything anyhow, might as well be useful for hauling pies."

Brett laughed at that and Chett nodded in serious agreement as they shuffled the pie boxes around until they could get out, "Wait, just take some with you on your way in!" Juniper shouted, however they'd already closed the doors and were running to the RV before she could even finish the sentence and she sighed, adjusting the boxes on her lap before looking over at him. "Why did you buy so many?" she asked.

"They helped us distract mom so she couldn't discover what we were up to." He answered honestly, grinning when she blushed, "I'd have just bought them the entire shop if they'd asked for it for the lecture they no doubt got for fighting over something so stupid as a cookie." he chuckled and shook his head.

Juniper blushed, but thankfully managed to contain anymore of her nervous habits, "They're strangely reliable." she laughed before shyly looking at him from the corner of her eye, "I'm sorry, by the way, for leaving you 'high and dry'. I didn't mean to."

He shrugged, "Don't worry about it, just make it up to me next time." her face darkened more and he grinned happily when she made no sound of disagreement. When his brothers and uncle got to the truck he opened the door and handed down the pile in his lap, "Go get the ones off Juniper, then you can unload the rest." he looked around and frowned, "Where's-"

"She's in a bad mood." His Uncle sighed before he could finish as he collected the boxes from Juniper and shook his head, giving them all a morose look, "She a little frustrated at the moment."

Once-ler rolled his eyes and climbed out of the truck, grabbing a stack of pies himself to carry into the RV, walking in and setting them down hurriedly in case the woman could somehow smell him and be after him as well, when he turned and seen Juniper holding a stack of boxes he shook his head and took them from her, nodding her back towards the truck.

It was good that he did, too, because as he set the pies on the table and turned to leave Grizeldathumb stood in her massive girth blocking the exit, "Hello Aunt Grizelda." he sighed. She harrumphed, but otherwise left him alone and looked at the pies, "Those are Chett's and Brett's." he held is arms protectively over the stack of pastries and swallowed, "They're getting these because they're... helping me build my house. Leave them alone."

"You sure they didn't get them for covering for you and your little girlfriend?" she asked snottily and he hurriedly pressed two pies in her hands. She nodded and carried them away, leaving him frightened but alone as he ran out of he RV.

Chett and Brett looked at him and he sighed, "I had to sacrifice two of your pies." he said apologetically. Brett nodded in understanding but Chett quickly ran in to reclaim the pies and Once-ler shook his head disbelievingly, "He'd actually go that far for pie, huh?"

"You'd be surprised at what he wont' do for pie." Brett answered with a shrug as he carried a tall stack in, "He likes it more than squirrel and you know how it is about that."

It took one last trip before the pies were carried into the RV until they could pull the tuck bed up to the half finished house and park it, "Just leave the drywall in the bed of the truck and help me get the roof finished." he told his brothers, frowning strangely at Chett as he stuffed his face with a large bit of blueberry pie, "Couldn't you wait for a minute?"

"I've been waiting my entire life for a never ending supply of pie, Oncie." Chett answered resolutely, taking another large bite. Once-ler shook his head and sighed, looking at Brett who blinked at him like he didn't see what the problem was.

Shaking his head he turned around to see Juniper standing with a hammer in hand and a smile on her face, "I'm helping-"

"by staying out of the way." he ended, taking the hammer from her hands, "We working on the roof today, I'm not letting you up there. You'll break your neck and I'll never get my pay back." He said it for shock value and was pleased to see it worked until he turned around to see her loading shingles onto the makeshift pulley elevator he'd rigged up, "What are you doing? Those could fall on your head!"

She looked up at him before looking at the pulley and shaking her head, "How is it going to fall on my head when it's closer to my hips?" she asked, arching an eyebrow, "Wouldn't it make more sense for it to fall on my foot or something?" he frowned at her but couldn't really argue, "Calm down, I can load it onto the pulley and move back while you lift it up."

"Stop being overprotective and let her help, Oncie." Brett said and he looked behind him to see the other man had climbed up after him and was now stuck either going back down or waiting for him to continue to the roof, "Hurry up, I'm not here to look at your butt all day."

He huffed and climbed up the ladder before going to the pulley and checking to see if Juniper had backed away; she must have because he didn't see her, "I'm pulling it up now! Watch your head!" he shouted down. She didn't answer and he frowned, "You hear me?"

"I'm over here, Oncie, not like it's going to fall on me!" Chett yelled up and he gave him an annoyed look, "What?"

"Juniper, move to where I can see you, I don't want any accidents!" He shouted again, however she still didn't answer, "Juniper?"

"Who's Juniper?" Brett asked and Once-ler's heart nearly stopped, looking over his shoulder at his older brother in horror before leaping for the ladder and hurrying down.

"Juniper!?"

"Seriously, who's Juniper?" Brett called down, looking at him like he'd lost his mind, "We're the only one's here, Once-ler, you need a break or something?"

* * *

Authors Note: That's seventeen pages, people, seventeen! My finger's were flying through this like a man on a trapeze, too. XD I hope that I managed to spring Juniper's disappearance on you like a brick in the face, it's really what I was going for the entire chapter, but at least I let them be 'happy' first; no one can call me evil! Mawhahaha... er... Hahaha. n.n;


	13. Chapter 13

Authors Note: LMAO! Ya'll are a bunch of pervs, I up my rating and get thirty more readers; that's so great. Seriously, thirty of you, that's just funny. Gold stars all around!

* * *

The next few days were torture for Once-ler and he didn't have time for anyone's crap, the fact that his mother continuously asked what was wrong irritated him irrationally to the point that he would no longer allow her or anyone else in his tent, or that's what he let them believe. The simple fact was that other than him and the Lorax, nobody remembered Juniper despite the large impact she'd created in his life. Her clothes still hung in his closet, her toothbrush remained in the bathroom, even the dirty cup she'd drank from the morning she disappeared remained sitting atop a shelf in the kitchen. The sheets smelled of her and if he closed his eyes he could imagine that she just went to the bathroom and give his aching heart a little relief.

He was angry. They had taken her away and left him to suffer alone in a home that didn't have a single inch without some memory attached to it and he wanted her back so badly that the only thing he could do was curl up on his bed and hug their shared pillow tightly to his chest to breath in the last bit of her sent. His body ached and his stomach hurt, her couldn't even escape in his sleep, he'd become so accustomed to holder her and letting her soft breathing lull him to sleep that without her it was nearly impossible.

There was a knock on his door and he flinched, "Oncie, dear?" his mother asked softly before turning the handle and letting herself in to look worriedly at his still form. "I've brought you some soup, would you like some soup?"

"Get out."

She walked cautiously to his table, looking at him timidly as though she were afraid he'd fly into another rage, "Sweetie, you have to eat." she urged, "Come now, I'm sure this Jennifer will come b-"

"Her name is JUNIPER!" He shouted, sitting up to glare at the startled woman and she shook her head in confusion, "Not Jennifer, Juniper, _say it_!"

"Her name is Juniper." she nodded, side stepping to the door, "I'm sure she'll come back, you're such a good boy! She just doesn't know what she left-"

"She didn't _leave_!" he shouted again, "Get out!"

She nodded and ran from the tent, too frightened to even close the door and he got up to slam it shut before looking at the soup on the table and laughing. Wow, tinned soup when he'd grown used to home made stew, how considerate. He picked it up and thew it into the sink, grinning darkly as the bowl shattered, "You're losing it, Beanpole."

"They'll give her back." he nodded, not bothering to look at the Lorax, "They'll give her back or I'll take this world from them and leave them nothing but broken dreams and shattered hearts." turning back to the bed he laid down, shaking his head, "Everything will burn but this tent and this forest and I'll stand there laughing at the misery that comes from it."

The Lorax came around to stand before him and shook his head sadly, "Scratch that, kid, you've already lost it." the words were a simple statement that he couldn't argue with and he shrugged in answer. "I don't blame ya, I really don't. Trash it all, kid, make them pay as you want." he nodded and the Lorax turned around to leave before pausing, "I've been trying to open the tear again, but my seeds aren't getting through, seems they've sealed it for good this time."

The words hurt and he clenched his eyes shut, fighting off the burning sensation in the back of his eyes as his hand went over the fading mark on his neck, "They'll give her back." he whispered, listening to the door open and close and heaving a shuddering breath, "They have to give her back."

He pictured her turning to smile at him, the ray of the sun sparkling against her hair as she blew him a kiss before stepping outside to get some fresh air, she would come in soon and lay back down. She was just outside the door. Just a few feet away. She would be back soon. She would, and then she would smile and lightly run her fingers through his hair and grin teasingly down at him.

No, no she wouldn't. She wouldn't because she couldn't; she was probably sitting in some shitty patch of dirt suffering far worse than him and there wasn't one damn thing he could do to comfort her because they'd taken her. Was she even okay? Was she healthy? Was she alive?

Fear that she wasn't fueled a new rage and he jumped up, looking for something to break that she wouldn't really mind missing and spotted the table. She wouldn't care about that, he'd bought her a new one. He knew because he'd double checked and it had still been in the back of the truck. He found his dusty old axe in the utility closet and dragged it over to the table, smiling viciously as he lifted it over his head.

"She's not going to like that." The new voice stopped him and he turned to see Chett standing at his door looking confused. "Remember, she was already mad over the chair?"

The axe dropped out of his hand he he blinked at him, slowly turning to the older man and shaking his head, "No, I bought her the new one in town."

"That's not going to be okay, Once, she'll be mad if you break the table." he shook his head slowly and stepped into the tent, looking around. "Did you know, nobody remembers her? I didn't remember her either until I found this." he held out the blue glass pie dish and set it gently on the table, the strawberry filling encrusted onto the glass.

Once-ler slowly picked up the plate and smiled, his fingers lightly brushing the rim and nodding his head, "Yeah." he whispered, his vision getting blurry, "Nobody else remembers but you, me, and the Lorax."

"That's not fair, Once." Chett said sadly.

Once-ler shook his head, "No, it isn't." he hugged the glass dish before walking over to gently set it on the shelf with the coffee cup, "That's why I won't be fair, either." he turned and seen Chett nod his agreement, walking around and sitting down in one of the chairs at the table, "I'll do it at tomorrow's ribbon ceremony."

"Want me to help?" Chett asked and Once-ler looked at him, frowning slightly, "I can break something-"

Once-ler grinned at his older brother and shook his head, "We're not breaking something, we're breaking everything, and the only way to break everything is to get control of it, first." he let is smile grow and walked to his fridge, pulling out a stale loaf of bread and some cheese, sliding them onto the table and making himself a sandwich, "Eat up, Chett, if you're going to help me break the world then you'll have to keep your strength up."

* * *

Juniper wiped the sweat off her brow before firmly stabbing the shovel she held in the ground once more, digging the fresh dark brown dirt up and dumping it into a large bucket, looking up and wondering how far she'd managed to dig. The sun shown, but the depth of the hole prevented it from shining on her, which was fine, she didn't want it anyway. She wanted him, she wanted Once-ler, and she would dig forever to get to him. She would break through the measly dirt and clay straight through the molten rock beneath to the man she knew was waiting for her.

She wasn't sure what happened, one moment she was walking back to the truck to put more roof tiles onto the pulley and the next she was walking towards the abandoned house she'd left behind just a handful of weeks ago. She remembered the shock, the fear and worry as she fell to the ground limply for what had to have been hours before pulling herself back up and scrounging around until she'd found the shovel that was now in her hands.

Then she had started digging. The tear had to still be there, the Lorax would eventually send a tree that would help her break through, until then she would help by going as far as she could; and if she dug forever and still couldn't get through she would have herself a nice deep hole to rest in for the remainder of eternity as close to the mischievous eyes and loving smile as she could get.

Her shoulders hurt, but she pushed aside the useless pain and kept digging, her goal to fill the bucket enough to climb up the tall ladder and pour it out in the large mound of dirt behind the house. "I'm coming back." she stated evenly, convincing herself of the fact; "I'm coming back, Once-ler, I'm working on it."

Her stomach growled and she sighed, turning to crawl up the ladder and drag her bucket up, up, up until she could reach the thick rope handle and dragged it around the house to the large mound of dirt that was slowly turning into a smallish hill and dumped it at the base. Walking the bucket back to the hole she lowered it in and went to the truck, pulling out one of the beef sticks from the small box she'd stolen from the closet gas station she could find. She had another two boxes to go through before she'd have to get more, but that was alright; she would do what she had to in order to go back and if it meant stealing from the disgusting world outside the woods then so be it.

She had to eat three sticks in order to quiet her stomach and turned back to her hole, frowning at the large ladder, she'd have to get a taller one if she didn't manage to break through tomorrow, which was a pain in the ass since she didn't for the life of her know where she could find a ladder just laying around for her to take. She would have to use a rope instead, rope was easy enough to take even from a store if she wore a baggy enough shirt; and luckily for her she had a nice comfy, if somewhat dirty, Thneed that would amply supply her a large enough shirt to stuff it under.

She carefully crept back down her hole and picked her shovel back up, "I'm coming, Once, I'm coming." she whispered, "Just a little longer and I'll be home, I'm coming."

* * *

Once-ler straightened his tie and adjusted the large sunglasses on his face before turning to look at his older brother, inspecting the nice black suit before brushing some dust off his shoulder, "Remember, appearance is half the work, everything else relies on charm and I'll have those bastards eating out of my head in no time at all." he assured the other man.

Chett shuffled his feet and looked at the ground, "I'm not sure this is okay, Once, I'm no good in crowds." Once-ler knew that, but as he adjusted the new coal black fedora on Chetts head he shrugged, "It's not really a crowd, though, it's more of a flock."

"A flock?" Chett asked curiously and Once-ler nodded, "Of birds?"

"Sheep." He corrected, stepping back and nodding his head, "You look fantastic, amazing what a simple change of clothes can do to a man." he turned to look over at Brett who wore a similar suit and tilted his head at the stage beside them, "You sure you don't want to join us?"

Brett shook his head, "Nah, I can't stand all those eyes looking at me." he declined, looking over at his twin and giving him an encouraging smile, "You'll do great, Chett." their mother sniffed and Brett patted her shoulder, "It's okay mom, Oncie's fine now; right Oncie?"

"Better than ever." he replied without hesitation as his uncle went out to rev the crowd up for him and he reached into his pocket, slightly annoyed that his fingers couldn't actually touch the piggy patch within. There was nothing to do about it, though, if he wanted to ruin everything he'd have to dress for the part, and that part was the suave and dynamic businessman.

When the crowd roared and he seen his uncle turn to give him his cue gesture he put on a happy face and walked confidently onto the stage, waving to the large flock of sheep he would eventually lead to destruction. How he would relish their forlorn and despair ridden faces, he looked forward to turning them into empty used shells of their former selves. "Hello!" he greeted them all as he came to the microphone, stretching his smile wider and waving a free arm through the air once more in a giant wave to everyone, "I can't tell you how pleased I am to see so many Thneed lovers in one place! It fills my heart and soul with joy to know that my creation has been so warmly welcomed and embraced by you all."

The crowd roared again and he turned to wave Chett to the stage, "I would like you all to meet my older brother, Chett, who will be acting as my second in command; the new VP of Thneed Industry!" He could see his brother take a huge swallow before he walked onto the stage, giving the crowd a wave and a smile just like they'd practiced the night before, and as he grew closer Once-ler gave him a proud nod.

"We at Thneed Industry encourage you all in being _unique_! Find new ways to use your Thneed, share it with your neighbors and friends! Send us your ideas and we'll share them with everyone you haven't already showed!" He looked at Chett from the corner of his eyes and noticed a single drop of sweat run down the side of his face, that wouldn't do. Confident businessmen didn't sweat under pressure.

Throwing an arm around the older man he pumped a fist in the air, "We're a family at Thneed Industry and we encourage you to become part of our family as well! Welcome us into your hearts as well as your homes because you have _already_ entered ours!" A cheer rose up and he took the opportunity to whisper the nervous man beside him, "You need to smile more, make them think you're someone they _want_ to know."

Chett nodded and broke out into a large shy-boy smile and the camera zoomed in on them, "Chett and I will personally take every single one of your considerations _without_ exception!"

"I personally like my Thneed in a bit of soup." Chett added and Once-ler pounded his back happily, nodding enthusiastically at that bit of brilliance as the crowd laughed. Chett shook his head and grinned at Once-ler, "I don't think they believe me, Oncie."

"Don't believe you? Well why ever not? It's edible, I know because I sprinkle it on my cereal _every_ morning!" more laughter followed his words, the crowd was loving the playful banter, "Have you tried it on a taco? Simply to die for."

They continued throwing cooking suggestions back and forth for a few more moments before Once-ler laughed loudly and turned to the crowd, "Well, don't let us fill your imaginations before you can experiment with your own, over a _thousand_ uses, how many can you find?"

* * *

Once-ler took his hat off after entering the back of the limo with the rest of his family and loosened his tie, "That went swimmingly." he congratulated everyone with a large easy-going smile and Chett nodded in agreement, "I wasn't expecting such showmanship from you, Chett, I can't begin to tell you how impressive that was, I'll have to get one of the news crews to send us a tape so I can show Juniper when she comes back."

Chett laughed and shrugged his shoulders bashfully and Once-ler clapped him on the back, "This will be a piece of cake-"

"Oncie, you're acting a little off today..." His mother interrupted worriedly, looking at him and twisting the him of her skirt in her hands. He blinked at her from behind his thick sunglasses and had to fight the snarl off his face, what did she know about how his normal behavior if she'd forgotten Juniper so easily? He shook the thought off; of course she couldn't remember, she and Juniper had never been close and were constantly at each others throats, their idea of getting along was successfully not strangling one another.

"Of course he's not acting normal, mom, he can't be normal without Juniper." Chett stated flatly, looking out the window and raising even more respect for him out of his younger brother without even knowing it. "He'll be better when she gets back from where ever it is she's at."

Once-ler nodded, ignoring the worried looks he and Chett were receiving from the other two in favor of looking out his own window, smirking as people nearly trampled one another to get through and receive their complimentary Thneed he'd surprised them all with for their wonderful participation. It was almost funny, the way they eagerly ran for their eventual end, and he wondered just how many of them would actually try eating a Thneed, "Great improvisation, Chett, I hadn't thought to have them try to eat it."

Chett turned and sent him a large smile, "The best way to get rid of something is to eat it, then they'll have to come back for more." Once-ler laughed and smacked his knee at that. What a brilliant mind hidden behind the guileless face of a country boy, "Do you think it worked?"

"Like a charm." He tried to snap his fingers, but the cloth prevented the action and he flashed him Juniper's usual victory sign instead which made him laugh happily and hold up a V of his own, "The real question is how many of them will pick up the challenge at first, we'll have to quickly air their ideas so they know we meant what we said-"

"Why is it so important for them to find new ways to use their Thneeds?" Brett asked curiously, his dark eyes suspicious, "Isn't there enough uses as it is?"

Once-ler looked at him and smirked, sitting back in the plush leather seats of the limo and nodding his head slowly, "Well of course there is, but biggering it's uses will bigger the company which will bigger us as well; never lose sight of the bottom line." Chett chuckled at that and Once-ler sent him a wink from behind his dark sunglasses before taking them off, "We won't stop biggering until there's nothing left to bigger."

"What happens when there's nothing left to bigger?" His mother asked and he grinned at her, shrugging his shoulders as he folded his glasses and hooked them into his breast pocket and she fidgeted across from him, "Are you sure you're okay, sweetie?"

"He's fine, mom." Chett answered for him, reaching over and patting his shoulder firmly and Once-ler gave two thumbs up in agreement. He was better than fine, he was fine-tastic; he would ruin the world until the gods no longer cared what he did any longer and gave him what he wanted, or he would come so close to it that they'd give it to him just to appease his rage. Juniper would be back, and the sooner the brought the world to it's knees the better.

* * *

Juniper unscrewed a small soda bottle she'd filled with water from the stream and tilted it back to her lips, swishing it in her mouth as she recapped it to keep her teeth from sticking to her lips. She wanted to just drink it, but if she did that she would have to climb back up the rope and refill the bottle sooner than she'd planned and would no doubt waste energy dumping only a partly filled bucket of dirt. The flashlight she had hanging off another rope gave her enough light to continue digging, but it was fading quickly and she'd have to raid the city for another to replace it with, soon.

Six solid days of digging had brought her closer to her destination, it had to have. She wasn't wasting her time and she wasn't crazy; she would eventually bust through whatever layer that prevented her fall and run back into Once-ler's arm. He would reward her with a large smile and a nice soft hug that would warm her cold skin and sooth the blisters from her hands. She would be happy!

Her skin itched and she scratched it in irratation, flinching at the thick black dirt that flaked off to land in her hole and sighed. She wanted to cry. She wanted to cry until she was nothing else but a dried up corpse rotting in the bottom of her never ending hole where even the worms and snakes refused to go; but she would save her tears. If she was going to cry then they would be happy tears given to the man she loved or she wouldn't cry at all.

She struck the dirt again, her eyes widening when she hit something hard and quickly pulled the shovle out, falling to her knees to scratch away the dirt and stare blankly at the large rock below in horror before running her fingers over the smooth compacted surface and shaking her head. Her shovel wouldn't break through that, she needed something else... A pickaxe. She could one. They had several at the home improvement store in town, if she quickly bathed they wouldn't think twice about her walking in and just walking back out with it, she knew because that was how she'd gotten her large bucket.

Standing up she kicked the dirt around in the bottom of the hole and frowned, she'd have to do it now before the sun went down, otherwise she wouldn't have the cover of a crowd. Sighing she looked at her climbing rope and rubbed her hands together, gripping the jagged surface of the rope and hauling herself up, wishing she had enough rope to just make herself a pulley system like Once-ler had made for the roofing supplies.

It took her a while to get to the top, and when she rolled out of the hole and laid on her back in the bright sunlight she had to block it from her eyes painfully. She needed sunglasses if she wanted to stop wasting time adjusting from dark to bright, as it was it took up several precious moments she could better spend hauling. When the pain behind her eyes eased she dragged herself up and gritted her teeth, lugging up the heavy rope attached to the heavy bucket until she could grab at the now filthy black rope handle and grabbed at it, tugging it up and over the lip.

Dragging it over to the pile of dirt that was now easily as wide as the house she dumped it and looked at the large hill in satisfaction. She was working harder than she'd ever worked for anything in her life, she wanted to take a picture so Once-ler would know just how hard so he would praise her more when she got back. Pulling out the round pink and yellow phone he gotten her she stepped back and tried to fit it all in, but in the end she merely took a picture of the height, which was now near the second level of the house and saved it, kissing the phone lightly before setting it gently onto the ground.

Then she stepped into the icy water of the stream and undressed, taking the clothes with her into the stream and drenching them before beating them onto a large rock. Once they were as clean as they were going to get she used Once-ler's Thneed as a wash cloth and wiped the thick crusted mud from her skin, her fingers lightly tracing over the nearly healed kiss marks he'd left on her body and smiling gently at them.

First thing she would do when she got back was have him replace each and every one, then she would cover him in as many as she could give.

* * *

It took only an hour or two for her clothes to dry and she was inside her now stolen truck and pulling into the parking lot of the home improvement store, clean fingers tapping lightly against the steering wheel as a slow rock ballad blared from the stereo. Despite the soothing music the words were hard and hateful, her kind of song; if she knew the lyrics she'd even sing along.

She parked as close to the doors as she was able and got out of the truck, twirling the keys in her hands as she stepped past the automatic doors and happily smiled at a helpful sales girl who asked if she needed help. She shook her head no and gave her a happy little wink before continuing on over to where she'd seen the pickaxes and snatched up one that featured a fiberglass handle, "If you keep stealing from the store I'm going to have to report you."

She blinked and looked to her side to see a familiar face frowning at her and shot him a grin, "I can't help it, I don't have any money." she told him factually, giving him a shrug and hefting the pickaxe over her shoulder, "Can't you just accept my future happiness in life as payment enough?"

He shot her a funny look and crossed his arms, "I take it the home improvement is going along well?"

"You could say that." she laughed and shook her head, "It's taken a somewhat different course, though, but I'll soon have my happy home and my family back within my grasp." he nodded his head slowly and looked at the pickaxe, "Oh, I'm definitely taking this even if I have to plow through you and swing it at whatever cop you throw at me."

He arched an eyebrow, "That determined for it?"

"Absolutely. Though if I didn't have to it'd make my life a little easier." she answered casually, giving the pickase a twirl over her shoulder and grinning, "It'd be nice if you made my life easier."

He laughed at that and nodded, "I feel the same way sometimes; but you know that's a pretty expensive tool you have in your hand." she looked up at the price, "Yeah, ninety-three dollars, and that's without the taxes being added on."

She sighed, "Well the expensive ones are usually the best, right?" she asked, but still looked at the others, "Wood rots, I can't have a wooden handle and it needs to be light enough for me to use for a while."

He pursed his lips, "I can understand that, so how about this. Instead of walking through the front door do myself and the rest of the employees a favor and go through the employee's entrance in the back so we don't have to pretend we're too dumb to realize you're stealing from the store."

She thought about it for a moment before nodding, "Sure, if you let me take some batteries, a pulley, and some jerky."

"Isn't that being a little greedy?"

She shrugged, "I think of it more as negotiating for my best options, but if you'd like I'll settle for the batteries and the jerky."

He shook his head and laughed, "Go get some jerky, too; I don't want to go to sleep thinking your working yourself to death without even eating." he relented, "Just make sure to go through the back and you don't tell anyone we're letting you do this, I don't want to lose my job after I only just got a promotion."

"Deal." She wandered away to get her batteries and jerky before pausing, "Congratulations on your promotion, I really don't believe it couldn't have gone to anyone more deserving."

* * *

_Dear Once-ler,_

_After testing out the many different uses I've come to find that the Thneed is best when you boil it down and drink the water as a dietary aide! I've never felt more energetic and it suppresses hunger pains like nothing I've ever tried before; I've told this to my mother and she's doing it now, too, and we've both lost nearly a hundred pounds together already and it's only been a week! Please tell the rest of the world so everyone can all be as thin and as lovely as my mother and I are becoming!_

_Sincerely, Abilene Witherow_

_Dear Thneed Interprise,_

_I'm using my Thneed every day now as a gas filter for my car! I just plug it into the pipe sticking out back, it's so easy! I'm not really sure if it's working, but when I start my car in the morning in the garage it smells so wonderful that I just can't wait to start the rest of my day; that has to be good for the environment, right? Tell everyone so we can all breath the same wonderful air every morning."_

_Sincerely, Joshua Samules_

_Dear Once-ler,_

_Have you ever just tried smoking it? It sends you to a whole other world, man! The colors are amazing and everything just gets better and better! Can you market packs of these like they do for cigars and cigarettes because it's the only thing I smoke now! I just love it._

_Sincerely, Sari Meadows_

Once-ler laughed, going through more letters that were piled over the top of his large desk and shaking his head, who would smoke a Thneed? Drinking it in place of food? What a hoot! "Chett, you should check some of these out." he told his brother who was busily reading more letters from his own desk, "This guy's saying that all he eats any more are Thneeds!"

Chett looked up, his face slightly green, and shook his head at even the thought, "I'm reading one from a girl who insists the best way to use it is a tampon; I don't even know what that is." he mumbled, shrugging and putting it on the neat pile on his desk, "What's a tampon?"

"It's... Something that women use." Once-ler hedged, not wanting to explain the complex body of women to his older brother; something just seemed off about it. "Who cares so long as they're actually doing it, right?" Chett nodded and Once-ler pulled out his phone, speed dialing his mother who answered on the first ring, "Hey, we've got some more letters to release to our adoring public."

His mother sighed, "We've been doing this for weeks, sweetie, it costs a lot of money to repeatedly make new commercials, can't we just-"

"No, we can afford a new commercial everyday and still turn a major profit." He cut her off, shaking his head and pausing to consider the idea before throwing it out. "These are new ways to use the Thneed that _everyone_ should know about, it'll inspire even more people to buy even more Thneeds and see what they can do with them." Chett threw him a large grin and he smirked in return, "Have it done by Friday if you can."

His mother sighed, "Don't I always, sweetie?" she asked before hanging up the phone.

Once-ler joyfully snapped his closed and tossed it on his desk, taking off his gloves and tossing them over his hat and sunglasses on the desk. "You know, this is easier than I thought it would be; we'll have Juni back in no time at all if things keep going like this." he reached in his pocket and pulled out her piggy patch, rubbing the worn cloth between his fingers.

Chett shrugged and opened his mouth to speak when the office door opened and the Lorax shuffled in, his arms behind his back and looking about the office with interest, "You two too busy for a quick visit?" the Lorax asked and both men laughed, waving him in, "There was some people in the forest today-"

That got Once-ler attention, "What were they doing in the forest?" he asked sharply, his eyes narrowing; there was a reason he was putting up the large fence around the area, "Are they trying to steal trees again?"

The Lorax nodded, "I managed to chase them off, though; they ran over a swomee on the way out. We're holding a burial for it later this evening." Once-ler nodded, folding his long fingers under his chin and sighing sadly; it wasn't the first animal to have met it's unnatural end at the hands of those greedy enough to brave his wrath.

"I'll make pancakes afterward, tell everyone that we'll meet at the tent once it's over." Once-ler said sadly, looking over at a his frowning brother, "Have Maisie clear our schedule for this evening, would you." he nodded and pressed the small intercom on his desk to do as asked and Once-ler turned back to the Lorax, "I've scheduled to have a fence built around the forest to deter things like this from happening again, but they can't come in until next week to put it up."

The Lorax nodded and walked over to the office's large windows looking over the a sea of Truffulas and sighed, "How are you?" he asked.

He frowned at the Lorax, "Close to dying, but it won't be long before everything's alright again." he stated confidently, looking down at the patch in his hands and bringing it to his lips to kiss lightly, "I keep wondering how she's doing, she never talked about where she came from. I don't know how dangerous it is there or if she has anyone to rely on." he looked at the Lorax questionably.

"I already told you I don't know, Beanpole, I only seen that small part when I went to get her the last time." he turned soulful dark green eyes on him and Once-ler looked down at his desk, slipping the patch gently between his fingers, "I keep sending seeds, but nothing's happened so far."

Once-ler nodded, he didn't have to be told that to know. If it worked Juniper would have walked in with the guardian and beamed a smile at him that he would have kissed until he couldn't breath anymore, "The air's still okay over the forest, right?"

The Lorax nodded, "It's fine, seems to be getting thick over the city, though."

"That's was the plan." Once-ler stood up and put the patch back in his pocket to come around his desk and look over the forest, putting a hand on the glass that separated them, "I might have to bring in air purifies soon, though, to make sure no damage comes to the trees; it'll be loud, but the it'll keep the air from contaminating the animals."

The Lorax nodded when Chett coughed and brought their attention over to them, "Looks like one of the branch factories is having a bit of trouble getting their shipments out, something about one of their machines breaking down from over-use, I just okay'd the purchase of another and it should be back to business by tomorrow."

Once-ler grinned at that, "Broke down from over-use after only a few days in operation?" he asked, running fingers over the glass and laughing, "Fantastic."

* * *

Authors Note: Well, I guess they're both working hard in their own ways... They're losing their minds, but they're working hard, and in the end isn't what matters most the effort you put into your projects? Whither it's digging a hole to a different universe or destroying everything to bend the wills of gods we should all take example and always put our best effort forward! I hope you enjoyed yet another chapter of Falling Deep: Stand Your Ground; see you back soon!


	14. Chapter 14

Falling Deep: Stand Your Ground

Authors Note: Ahhh, I've decided I hate this story (sorry)! I can't wait to finish it, I keep looking at my notes and wondering why the hell it's this long when it was originally only supposed to be seven or eight chapters in length plus the Whatever it Takes second part that was only supposed to be five chapters... WTF? I think it's because I kept altering my notes, which was something that I wasn't supposed to allow myself to do... Blah. No doubt I will go back and rewrite this once I've had a loong break from it (not until after I finish the last chapter, though!).

_Oncie's Sweetie will one day tell you that sour skittles are good on ice-cream... You will curiously try this combination if you haven't already... You will want more... DO NOT RETURN FOR MORE. I drove my friends insane until eleven in the evening before I had a sugar crash and passed out on their couch. It's because of times like that I try to avoid eating sweet things; I have no resistance, it's easier for me to control myself drunk off tequila! _ _

* * *

People all over the world seemed to relish the opportunity to share their ideas, giving more and more ludicrous suggestions until he was no longer even able to keep up with the strong demand and Once-ler couldn't help but smirk as orders were put on hold. The company began to receive criticisms for improper waste dumping near large cities and towns, but still the people wanted more; unable to help themselves in their own greed and desire for their ten minutes of limelight they received for their ideas.

Sure, they complained of the smell. They complained of the sky growing darker as the days grew by. They complained and they complained, but they never even once attempted to do anything about it but whine on camera before turning around to run out and buy a new Thneed. It was almost like they wanted nothing more than to ruin the world with him, to join him in his vengeful crusade against the very gods themselves.

Even when people started to die from their experimental concepts he only had to give a brief televised appearance and perpetrate a sorrowful plea for people to consider themselves in their strive to find the perfect purpose... Chett had informed him soon after that sells had increased nearly thirty percent that month and the rate of accidental deaths soared to a smooth twenty, he had laughed for days.

Yes, his plans were all turning about in a way that he couldn't believe, even the rebels seemed to be buying more and more, burning the Thneed in public events without even knowing he was applauding their assistance in the destruction of their good will. Charity and goodwill came in short supply to all who breathed the fumes of his factories and it wasn't abnormal to see a random fight or two break out here and there.

And the money...

There was so much money he had no idea what to even do with it until one day Chett had simply taken a handful of bills and had simply thrown it from their limo windows, letting the bills slip out of his hand with a large smile. The riot it had incited had lasted for two days and it had only cost a simple four thousand to amount to three million in damages to stores, properties, hospital bills, and government property damage. He hadn't even needed to apologize for it, since his little shop had been affected as well, and had been able to sit back and enjoy the show as the press nearly fought themselves for exclusive coverage.

After that it was easily decided to end the free publicity for his fellow man and offer cash prizes to those who appeared in the Thneed commercials. People no longer shared their ideas with each other, but rather horded them to themselves, some even made large attempts at stealing their families and friend's ideas... He could sometimes even tell the ones that did it and chose to specifically reward them just to inspire hatred.

He leaned back in his chair and looked out his office window, the little piggy patch clutched in his fist as he glared at the sky... Why hadn't they given her back yet? Did he need to actually destroy everything before they allowed it? Did he have to ruin the world so much that when they finally gave Juniper to him they wouldn't have a world to live in?

Clenching his eyes closed he shook his head and stood, his back straight and his eyes forward before letting himself sag to the floor, "They're not going to give you back, Juniper." he whispered, hugging the patch to his chest and squeezing his eyes shut, "I'm sorry, but I've failed; they're not going to give you back."

"It's only been a month, Oncie." Chett said from across the office, but Once-ler shook his head, "No, really, there's still time... Isn't there?"

He looked at his brother, a simple man that only three months before wouldn't have known what to do with a tie if you'd handed him one. He now managed them even better than Once-ler himself, "Chett, why are you helping me this much?" he finally asked, folding his legs and leaning against his desk as he stared at the man who had become his full partner in crime.

Chett frowned at him, looking like the confused country boy he no longer was, "Your my baby brother, Oncie." he explained. Standing from his desk he came over and knelt before the taller man and grinned, "I love you, I don't want to see you hurting this much. If I have to kill the world to make you happy then, as your big brother, aren't I supposed to?"

Once-ler looked at him considering before slowly shaking his head. Was it really so simple a reason? Had he always been this loved by his brother? Perhaps it was he that had always been the idiot out of the three; what did it mean to be clever and witty to the people who cared leased about you when you were willing to break the world just because your little brother wanted you to? "You're a good big brother, Chett." Once-ler whispered, feeling shamed and disgraced. "You can stop now, though, because they're not going to give her back."

Chett frowned at him for a moment before giving a sad nod and sighing, "Are you sure you want to give up, Oncie?"

"What choice do I have? Will she want to come back to a world so dark and gloomy?" Once-ler shook his head and looked out the window. Even the forest had grown darker as the days continued by, the purifiers not able to keep up with the amount of pollution from the city, "It's all useless."

Chett nodded again before leaning forward and hugging him around his shoulders.

However the hug was far to strong and Once-ler choked, pushing against it until his head was under Chetts armpit and he yelped as the older mans fist dug into the top of his head, "Chett, stop it!" he shouted, trying to pull his head from the forceful nuggie that he was receiving without mercy, "Knock it off!" the pressure continued and he was sure he felt his hair ripping out of his skull before he was suddenly released and crashed his head into his desk.

He looked stupidly at Chett as he stood up and straightened out his jacket, walking back to his desk as though it never happened. He sat and picked up a paper and a pen before Once-ler realized he had gone back to the sales charts and graphs, "What the he-"

"Stop acting like your favorite toy was taken away." Chett stated evenly, not even looking at him, "Juniper was the love of your life, not some action figure. I don't care if the rest of the world burns as long as my family's happy, and until I know that you _and_ Juniper are okay I'm not going to stop." he paused over the graphs and looked up, "Neither should you, Oncie, don't give up on your family."

Gobsmacked he blinked at Chett. Gone was the expensive business suit, fedora, and black leather gloves and in their place was the simple smile and curious eyes of the boy he had grown up with. "When did you get so smart, Chett?"

The older man grinned, "Brett and I have always been like this, Oncie; why do you think we worked so hard to toughen you up? Don't let us down, little brother; you just keep looking forward and stand your ground."

* * *

She couldn't dig anymore, she wasn't strong enough. Thankfully she had long since stopped hoping to break through the tear, given up on the dream of returning and instead set out to prove that she would go on for as long as she could until her body gave out and stopped working... She could now proudly say without a shadow of doubt: mission accomplished.

She didn't even have the strength to pull herself out of the hole she'd made, and even if she did she couldn't find it in herself to give a damn if she rotted at the bottom of it. She was done, there was nothing more she could do. The Trufflas weren't going to come and the tear was gone, she had dug for miles into the hard rocky layers, picking and digging, digging and picking. Her body hurt, she was hungry, she was thirsty, she was cold, and she was alone.

Laying down in the center of the hole she looked up at the night sky and took a deep breath, her lungs long since accustomed to the dirty stale air that had become thin and difficult to breath. That was okay, though, she probably wasn't going to continue doing that for much longer anyway, hopefully Once-ler had already recovered. If she was lucky he had found an earthy girl with a face as beautiful as her personality; if she was to die alone then she at least wanted that.

She urged the gods to hear her final request and sighed, shaking her head. Since when did they care what she wanted? There was nothing she could offer them, and even if she had something to offer she would have rather begged to return to Once-ler's side. "You're all cruel and unjust bastards." she whispered, mentally urging them to strike her down, "Useless in everything but the abuse of your own power."

They didn't argue back and she sighed, "At least kill me." she waited a moment, silent in thought and action before she felt a slight sprinkle and realized that it had started raining. Laughing bitterly she let it fall into her face, closing her eyes and spreading her arms and legs out, urging the rain to fall faster, to fill her hole to the brim and wash her away to wherever it pleased.

Then it stopped and she blinked her eyes open to stare disbelievingly at the sky, "That was it?" she whispered, shaking her head. "How was that supposed to kill me?" she took another deep breath and gave up trying reasoning with her unseen tormentors, closing her eyes and willing herself to forget her pains and hunger as she liked the water from her lips.

There was nothing left, just her and her hole that she'd worked so hard to dig. If she considered the depth and ignored everything else she was a little impressed with herself for what she had done with only a gardening tools and a pickaxe. She'd like to see anyone else dig a hole as big as hers, she dared them to do it, surely Once-ler would have been proud of her effort.

How she hadn't at least impressed her determination and unrelenting desire to return to the bastards looking down on her she had no idea, but she had tried her best and that was all she could do. She pulled the flashlight close and turned it on, flinching at the sight of her calloused and torn fingers, no wonder why it hurt so much... Why were they so rough when she had made sure to wear gloves for the most part? Was it because the gloves were to think? Sighing she shook her head and looked at the half full bucket of dirt and wondered why she had ever thought digging the hole would get her to Once-ler. They wouldn't let her back, there was no reason to; one death wasn't anything to bother them, after all, especially not when the dying dug themselves a hole so deep that they, quite literally, couldn't get out of it.

She was a fool; but at least she was a fool in love.

She congratulated her major act of stupidity as the flashlight dimmed before flickering off. "I might have lost, but I did so wonderfully, didn't I?" she asked the gods smugly.

* * *

Once-ler straightened his lapels and cracked his knuckles as he stood in front of his Thneed factory, grinning darkly at it as his family stood behind him, all but Chett wearing near identical looks of confusion, "Why are we here if you've closed the factory down today?" he heard Brett ask Chett and his twin laughed, "What's so funny about that?"

"We're blowing it up." Once-ler answered simply, "This one and all the rest, after this we will no longer produce Thneeds." his mother gasped and Once-ler nodded his head confidently. This would do it, this would be the tipping point that he'd worked so hard to achieve in such a short time, "The world won't know what to do when we take Thneeds out of the picture, they've come to rely on them so much that they'll panic at the first hint that they won't get them anymore."

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Yes, I have." he answered, giving her a careless shrug, "The only reason I did this was so I could get Juniper back-"

"There isn't any Juniper, Once-ler, and even if there was do you think she'd want to come back to all this chaos?" His mother snapped, stamping her foot against the cement parking lot they stood in, "This has gone on for far to long, I'm putting my foot down! If you keep up this little lunatic act you've been pulling for weeks then I'm _leaving!"_

Once-ler blinked at her before looking at Chett and Brett, "If you guys want to stay once this is over I'll start adding on your rooms now." he offered, pulling a small black remote out of his pocket with a simple silver switch on the front, "But I'll understand if you don't want to."

"I'm staying; hopefully Juniper'll make me some more treats when she gets back." Chett answered, stuffing his hands into his pant pockets and grinned, turning to Brett, "You're gonna love the treats, Brett, she makes it all by hand, it's _so_ good."

Brett stared at his twin, as their mother gaped at her two grinning sons and Once-ler looked at his watch, shrugging. "Well, early won't hurt anything." he stated, ignoring his mother's gasp as he flicked the switch and watched the large factory implode upon itself, the loud repetitive explosions sounding more like fireworks than what he'd expected as the ground shook slightly under his legs just before the walls on all levels fell into each other simultaneously, one level falling into another until nothing was left but rock, metal, and the last few Thneeds that it had made.

Silence echoed around him and he put the remote back in his pocket, turning to give Chett a bemused look, "I was expecting more for some reason."

"I told you an explosion would be better, but you didn't want to risk damaging the landscape." Chett reminded him with a shrug and Once-ler scrunched his nose, nodding reluctantly before sighing and heading back to the car. "Well at least that's over, I was getting tired of having to wake up at five in the morning everyday."

Once-ler laughed and walked along beside him, "I hear that, when Juniper's back-"

"Have you both lost your minds?" His mother screeched and Once-ler turned to see her horrified face staring at them in absolute disbelief as she shook her head, "How is blowing up the factory going to bring her back even if she did exist?!"

Brett looked over at their mother and shrugged, "I dunno, seems like a good enough idea to me." he admitted, "I mean, doesn't the stupid stuff work best anyways?" their mother shook her head, looking at them each in turn before heaving a sigh and slumping over a bit, "Mom?"

"I give up, you all want to blow all the factories up then be my guest, but I had better get the best, most expensive, mother's day gift out of each and every one of you or so _help_ me I'm disowning the lot of you." She relented as she walked to the waiting limo and got inside. When they caught up with her she smugly locked the door and rolled down the window, "I'm sure you boys won't mind walking back?"

* * *

"I can't believe she's really making us walk home." Brett grumbled in annoyance, "Didn't we make a load of money?" Once-ler and Chett nodded, "Then what's her problem?"

"Well we won't be making a load of money anymore, will we?" Once-ler answered with a shrug as they came up to the large gate that surrounding the forest area and he pushed the code in to allow their entrance. "I'll buy her a dress shop and she'll get over it." the wide gate opened widely and they stepped through and continued walking.

Chett laughed, "That's a good idea, mind if I steal it from you?" they crossed over the final hill and sighed in unison when they spotted the small cluster of dwellings that made up their home, "Thank goodness, I can't wait to burn these shoes."

"I'm throwing mine at Once-ler as soon as I can." Brett admitted without caring if he offended his younger brother or not, "Why'd you even invite her to watch? You had to have known she wasn't going to like that."

Once-ler grinned, "Juniper would have wanted me to include her." he joked and Chett burst out laughing, his head bobbing quickly as Brett blinked and shrugged his confusion away rather then worry more about it. "I wonder how long it will take for everything to crumble... Couldn't be more than a few days, rig-"

He cut himself off when a dull roar was heard behind them and he turned to find hundreds of angry faces lined up outside of the large gate and he shook his head, bursting in a large grin, "Wow, that was fast."

"Those people look angry." Brett stated worriedly despite the somewhat bland look on his face when he turned to his brothers, "I'm going to run the rest of the way, I'll see you two later... If they don't get you." He took off at a hard run and Once-ler snorted a laugh when Chett yelped and followed him; however he continued to watch the screaming crowd.

It was beautiful, they were practically crawling up each other to get to him, "I see you've all heard the good news about my early retirement!" he shouted to them and they screamed back. He laughed more and walked over to a short wooden stick that had a small metal box attached to it, "I'm going to warn you once, that fence is electric bottom to top! Once I turn it on who ever still touching it will probably die." they stopped screaming and stared at him as he reached for the switch. "I'll wait a minute since I'm nice."

They scrambled away from the fence and Once-ler switched it on, giving them a pleasant wave of farewell before taking off his gloves and shoving them into his jacket pockets so he could flex his bare fingers in the sun for the first time in weeks. The wind was howling angrily and he smiled against it, taking off his jacket and hanging it over his shoulder by his index finger. When the clouds darkened he cockily looked over at the completed roof on his and Juniper's house and whistled the rest of the way to his tent.

"Guess you bastards should have just given her back." He stated smugly, giving a quick wink to the sky above and chuckling, "Never underestimate a man in love, fools; now give me back my girlfriend before I get really angry." he stepped inside and shut the door, walking over to make a pot of coffee and wait for the special delivery he suddenly just knew would come.

"I take it from the noise outside that it's mission accomplished?" the Lorax asked and Once-ler nodded happily, "What happens if they don't give her back, just out of curiosity?"

Once-ler laughed and turned the coffee pot on before spinning around and resting his hip on the counter, "I announce the joke and reopen bigger factories that will also produce dietary aids, energy drinks and, my favorite, adult relaxation aides and we start all over again."

Thunder boomed and he laughed harder, "I'm starting to like them, they actually thought they could win for a little while."

"Kid, you'd make an excellent Lorax."

He opened his mouth to reply when the door slowly opened and he arched an eyebrow, looking at the dirty fingers on his door before realizing they were hers, "Juniper?" he asked, running around to see the shocked looking girl and wrapping her tightly in his arm, "You're back, I knew you'd be back!" her arms wrapped around him tightly, grabbing onto the back of his shirt as though frightened she might disappear again and he smoothed dirty matted hair out of her face and laughed, "You're covered in mud, what were you doing?"

She mumbled something and snuggled deeper into him, "Looks like she's been playing in dirt since she's been gone." he turned and glared at the Lorax, but it was difficult to be angry and so he gave it up and instead let a silly grin cross his face as he picked his girlfriend up into his arms and carried her to the bathroom, "So I'll just let you two be alone then, how's that?"

* * *

She couldn't believe it, didn't know if she should believe it. She was so sure she was dying in her hole that she had just given up on hoping to ever return and boom... She was standing outside his door in the middle of a raging storm; the deep sores and callouses gone from her hands and able to stand where just hours before it had been impossible to even sit up.

She watched him lean into the shower and turn the water on, feeling the temperature before nodding and turning to her, shaking his head as his long fingers came up to her chin to move her head about, "You've got scratches all over you, what in the world have you been up to?" he muttered before shaking his head and looking at her clothes, "You were wearing those when you left-"

"I was digging a hole." she proudly reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone, "Every day, see?" she showed him the picture she'd taken of the dirt mount behind the abandoned house and gave a nervous giggle, "I actually dug more than that, but it's the only picture that I took." he took the phone from her fingers and stared at the phone for a moment before frowning at her, "I wanted to come back, but I couldn't dig deep enough to break through."

"They closed the tear, that's why." He answered with a shake of his head, smiling bemusedly at the phone again before closing it and setting it on the back of the toilet, "That's a lot of dirt, Juni." she looked over to his mirror and seen that 'a lot' was an understatement. She was covered head to toe with clumps of mud clinging to her cheeks, arms, and caked over her clothes.

"That's not even half of it, Once." She gave him a trembling smile before laughing, "It was so deep I couldn't even see the sunlight anymore." he laughed, pushing her hair from her face and shaking his head, "Seriously, in the end I was just digging to show that I wouldn't stop." shaking her head she pulled her shirt off her back and threw it into the trash bin under the sink, followed closely by her tattered bra and unbuttoning her pants.

"I'm still here, Juni; not that I'm not loving the show." The words were warm and amused and she looked up at him with a smile before finishing the removal of her pants and standing up to squeeze around him despite not needing to and stepping into the shower, "That wasn't at all in any way, shape, or form on any level of fair."

She grinned at him and stepped into the shower, closing the curtain and smiling as the hot water rushed over her, taking all the dirt she'd collected on her skin and washing it down the drain like it had only been a bad dream and had never really existed in the first place. She heard him leave the bathroom and carefully washed her hair, lathering and rinsing three times before she was satisfied that she'd gotten all the dirt free before focusing on the rest of her body.

It was almost like some parts of her just didn't want to get clean, and as frustrating as it was she couldn't help but grin as she continued scrubbing herself until she could finally see smooth shiny pink skin before stepping out. Chancing a glimpse in the mirror she was pleased to see her body had been pretty much repaired minus a few scrapes and bruises, then spotting her returned tummy and groaning... At least the jerks had a sense of humor, but after all that digging... Couldn't they just let her keep the weight off after all they'd put her through?

She went to poke at it, then stopped and tilted her head and lifted her arms. She supposed they could have given her back her wash board abs and firmly toned muscled arms and legs, too; but then they would have given her the additions of the deeply scared hands, too, and Once-ler liked her hands. He'd told her plenty of times he enjoyed the smooth softness, too; it's when she had started putting lotion on her skin nightly.

Shrugging she forgave the gods for giving her back her squishy tummy and gave it a small pat, she would start working it off later, then grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body. Once-ler hadn't set any clothes out for her, but that was okay because the kisses he'd left on her had disappeared and she hadn't been playing about wanting them back. She quickly brushed her teeth before running her tongue over the smooth surfaces and smiling to test their shine and gave a thumbs up to her ceiling for the jerks to see before flipping them off to show she still hated them and leaving the bathroom, walking straight into Once-ler's arms.

* * *

_**Brace yourself, lemon ahead!**_

* * *

Once-ler felt like a pervert, a crazy stalker with nothing better to do than harass a poor women who'd only just gotten home looking like a war survivor; but he calmly continued to wait outside the bathroom door for her to finish so he could grab her up and kiss her. He had managed to squelch the urge until she showered and had wanted to wait until she felt better, but when she opened the door he attacked her without care or restraint.

His lips caught hers and refused to release them as his hand came up to cup the side of her head, his thumb trailing lightly over her cheek his other arm wrapped around her hips. Her shocked breath was minty and cool, and her smooth tongue tasted of being freshly brushed with smooth even teeth soft pink lips. He had missed her kiss, how she would return the firm pressure of his mouth with her soft lips and make him tremble without even knowing.

Her arms came around his hips and hugged him close and he relished the clinging fingers that took hold of the back of his shirt, "I've missed you so much, Juni." he whispered when the kiss finally ended, looking into her wonderfully dark blue eyes and smiling, "They'll never take you again, I swear; they wouldn't dare."

She nodded confidently and pressed her lips to his again and he sighed happily until the door knocked, "Oncie, I was thi-"

"Go the _hell_ away, mom!" he shouted, not sure if he should be angry or flabbergasted that her timing was always dead on whenever he happened to have Juniper in his arms. He looked down at her with wide eyes to see her happily laughing and couldn't resist grinning himself, "Maybe she has a radar that lets her know when I'm up to something naughty." he wondered jokingly.

"You can't talk to me like that!" His mother snapped, shoving the door open and storming into the tent, a wet umbrella splattering rain everywhere, obviously having reached her maximum rage point; though when she looked at him and noticed the girl in his arms she blinked and shook her head, holding up a finger, "Is that Juniper?" she asked, tilting her head and frowning, "She looks a little familiar."

He shook his head and sighed, "I should have locked the door." he muttered, staring at the bothersome older woman who continued to weakly point as though Juniper had two more heads growing out of her shoulders and a forked tail growing from her tailbone, "Get out, mom!" he snapped her out of it and she jerked, shaking her head. "Seriously, leave. I will buy you anything you want, you can have two dress shops, but leave now." he groaned.

Juniper arched a brow and looked at him before looking at his mother and clearing her throat, "I take it you don't remember me, hag?"

His mothers finger snapped back to join the rest and make a fist as her mouth jerked open before she blinked confused eyes and shook her head, her fist lowering; "Well isn't that the oddest thing, I believe I do remember you." she stated before looking at Once-ler with a frown, "Why-"

"Who cares? Get out, please!" He begged, "I'll crawl if you want me to, just leave."

She huffed and adjusted her glasses over her nose, "Well I guess I can let you off the hook this once, sweetie, I _suppose_ you couldn't help yourself." her clipped tone somehow sounded a little relieved and she offered them both a sharp smile, "Just remember, Juniper, men never buy the _cow_ when the milk is free."

Juniper gasped and Once-ler was already half way to the door before his mother's eyes widened dramatically and she fled, slamming the door behind her and screaming for Brett or Chett to come to her rescue. He jerked the door open and glared as she darted inside the RV as his brothers peeked out the door, "Keep her in there!" he shouted over the rain, jabbing a finger at them, "Hog tie her if you need to, but keep her ass in that RV or I'm going to kill her!"

"Tell Juniper I want another strawberry pie!" Chett shouted back before he watched the door close and he shook his head and, looking at Juniper who was looking at him like it was his fault his mother had snarked at her.

He raised his palms up and shrugged, "At least she remembers you, right?"

"I hate that woman." Juniper growled before opening her arms and wiggling her fingers at him, "Now get back here and give me back my bug bites." her lips were quirked slightly in her teasing smile and he grinned at her, crossing back over and bringing his mouth to her neck to gently nibble and suck on the tender flesh. She laughed and stretched her neck to provide him more room, and when he was finished he brought his head up to touch the bright red spot in satisfaction.

"I'm covering you in these and you're not allowed to hide any of them." He told her, picking her up and carrying her to the bed before falling onto it. The smell of coffee floated around him as he pressed her against the mattress, his hand slipping between the folds of the towel until he could feel the soft flesh of her stomach against his palm. Her lips rose and claimed his as her arms wrapped around his shoulders once more to lock him in place and he couldn't resist the delicate smile that he felt grow.

Her skin was sweet and a little salty, a taste that had kept him up most evenings and stayed at the edge of his mind in the mornings; as he licked the soft spot under her ear and listened to the soft whimper of his name he sighed and trailed his hand over the milky skin of her thigh she shivered deliciously. The way she moved against him, breathing his name over and over as though she couldn't say it enough, made his blood rush; and when he felt her tongue licking at his skin with gentle little nips of her teeth he moaned hers in return and fought the shirt off his own back to give her more to touch.

Her eyes were growing darker and he took a moment to watch the color swirl even darker and when her hands came up to slid her fingers through his hair he grasped her wrist and pressed a kiss to the sensitive flesh of her palm and silently swore to do so again every day for the rest of his life. He would never forget the feeling of her fingers or the texture of her skin, he would touch her as much as he could between now and forever. Let one damn god just _try_ and stop him.

Once-ler let himself drown in the serenity of her eyes, the dark purplish blue depths threatening to pull him into forever and past the end of time and untied the towel, pulling it open to kiss the rouge tips of her breasts. She shivered and sighed, squirming below the tips of his fingers like she wanted nothing more but to shed her skin as he took the hardened nipple into his mouth and her fingers tangled themselves in his hair, pulling slightly before hugging him closer.

When her legs wrapped around his hips tightly he pressed himself against her, gritting his teeth when she whispered his name and arched up to meet him half way with eyes partially closed. He could feel the slickness even through the pants he was now trying desperately to take off with he shoes alone as she pulled more at his shirt before cursing in agitation and leaning back onto his knees to just pull the damn thing off and shimmy out of the black and white pinstriped pants as Juniper's fingers danced across his stomach and sent shoots of fire to spread in is belly.

He reclaimed her mouth, moaning as the sticky wetness rubbed against his enlarged hardness and positioned himself at her entrance, biting and suckling on her lower lip as he slid the tip of himself inside. She whimpered and pressed him closer, "Juniper, look at me." he whispered, touching her throat as her eyes slid open to look into his own and he nodded once before jerking his hips forward and burying himself in a single thrust.

Her nails dug into his back and he moaned over her pained cry as she twitched and pulsed around him hotly and he watched the shocked widening of her eyes as she struggled to keep her hold on him, "It's okay, I'm right here." he murmured, petting her hair and kissing her lips gently, grinding himself inside her with a lustful half sigh, half moan. Her nails had probably broke through his skin, but he would gladly sacrifice as many scars as she wanted for the exchange, and when he slowly pulled himself out and she loosened her grip he chewed on his lip, wanting nothing more than to feel them sink into his shoulders once more. When he slowly pushed himself back inside the smooth moist walls and felt her rounded nails scratch harshly down his back he moaned, taking her hips into his hands and leaning back enough that he could increase his pace.

She cried out his name as he found a steady tempo, the slow rhythmic thrusts making her fingers curl into the bedsheets, purring when he lifted her hips and increased his pace. He could feel the sweetest pressure building within him and growled, stamping it back as he hurriedly began slamming into her, letting her cries and pleas flit around him and encourage him on even more. It wasn't until she tensed below him and her walls clenched almost painfully around his member, sucking him in as far as he could go, that he let himself go with a sharp cry of her name torn from his throat as he slammed harshly into her and felt himself fill her.

* * *

_**See, that wasn't too bad!**_

* * *

He rolled over, bringing her out from under him so he could snuggle the sweet and sweaty girl onto his chest, petting her hear as she continued to twitch and jerk around him pleasantly and he hugged her to him tightly. It wasn't until she shifted atop of him that he sighed and pulled himself free of her, grinning at the slow moan that slipped free of her lips before softly dragging his teeth over her shoulder.

He was breathing heavily as the rain smacked against the roof of the tent, relaxing him further until he was sure he'd transcended to another state of being when Juniper pushed herself up from his chest and stretched her back, looking into his eyes with the barest hint of a smile, "I smell coffee."

He laughed and nodded, rubbing her hips softly under his palms, "That's because I made you some before I decided to take advantage of you." he informed her, pulling her back down and hugging her to his chest, "I'd get you some, but then I'd have to get up; and since I'm not letting you up I'm afraid that you're going to have to be content with the scent alone." she laughed and pressed a soft kiss on his nipple before nipping at it hard enough to send a brief shock of pain through him. "Keep doing that, I'm still not letting go."

"Didn't want you to." She adjusted herself until she sat on his stomach, her legs bent at his sides before pressing another kiss to him and yawning, "I do plan on taking a nap, though." he nodded, petting the length of her hair down her back before taking it and twirling it around in his fingers. She sighed deeply and slid her arms under is shoulders, "I love you."

He hugged her tightly, "Then when you wake up tomorrow you won't mind at all marrying me." he told her, smiling at the sweet laugh she gave in response. She thought he was joking, but that was alright; she would find out tomorrow when he quickly dragged her to a justice of the peace and tied her to him forever.

* * *

Authors Note: Well... Yes, this chapter kind of sucked; but for some reason it's the best I can do with it. I tried everything thing I could to make it better, but it just refuses to let me do anything with it! I promise the next (and final) chapter will rock your socks so hard you'll forget this crap even existed even if it takes me a few extra days to smooth out the edges! I've got plans, people, plans!


	15. Chapter 15

Falling Deep: Stand Your Ground

Authors Note: Welcome to the final chapter of FD, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and gave me encouragement to get this this stage. Juniper will become a retired character after this point and you will no longer read anymore about her and Once-ler's relationship though I hope she might still find use in providing others inspiration in creating their own OC's for their own stories!

I would also like to encourage people to ignore what others say about "Mary Sue's" in general as the vast majority of their favorite characters are, in fact, Mary Sue's (may all eyes turn to Audrey for a wonderful example and then turn to Twilight characters in general). The whole reason why they are loved is because they are written to be lovable; what people really dislike about Mary Sue's is that some authors will make a good character go OOC just to fall for their OC without undergoing any character development.

In other words: I wish there were more Once-ler/OC stories!

ALSO: I finally got the cover finished for this story (would figure, eh?); TGG isn't even written yet and it's cover only took me half an hour! x.x It's also a fair bit simpler, so that might be the reason.

Also, Also: Omfg all the research put into this chapter... Ahh, I'm so happy with it, though! :D It's my first ever wedding chappie, I've never done one before; I hope I did okay.

* * *

Once-ler awoke confused, blinking tired eyes at the empty spot on the mattress beside him before squeezing them close and trying to urge himself back to sleep. It was a horrible trick his mind played on him, giving him such a wonderful dream before forcing him awake to face the hard reality that Juniper hadn't come back. That the right side of his mattress continued to be void of warmth, joining the emptiness of his heart, and tore at his guts.

Then the right side of the mattress shifted.

A warm body snuggled up to him, pressing soft velvet lips against his shoulder.

Soft hair pooled over his chest.

He jerked his eyes back open to stare down at the golden haired angel that had returned to his arms and now cuddled against his right side, gently putting an arm around his naked chest. Running the smooth pads of her fingertips along his rib cage in a tickling cress that tingled and burned until her palm was over his heart. Juniper was laying next to him, her head on his arm and her naked leg coming up across his bare thigh, sighing a deeply contented breath that trailed over him and left him feeling weak and light headed.

"You're really back." He whispered and she looked up, tranquil blue eyes looking into his own with a soft smile on lips that he had bruised with his kisses. His hand touched her face, tracing each beloved curve before resting his palm against her cheek and she turned her head to press a soft kiss there as well. "You're back."

"I'm back." She confirmed, threading her fingers through his as she always did as she held his palm against her cheek and breathed another deep sigh. A sharp sweet pain pierced his heart and he took a deep shuddering breath before sitting up and leaning over her, kissing her lips tenderly. For the first time in over a month he was finally able to hold her in his arms, to hear her voice and kiss her whenever he wanted.

Juniper was tightly hugging him as though her thoughts were the same, pressing herself tightly against him as though she never wanted to let go. He pulled her onto his lap and held her between his legs, curling himself around her body as he tried to tuck her into his skin, "I can't tell you how much I missed you." he muttered emotionally, shivering when she gave a hiccuped breath and nodded in response. "I couldn't stop worrying, I was always so afraid." she nodded again, giving a small sniff as he began to rock her.

"I wanted to come home." Her voice trembled and he couldn't help the small smile from finding it's way onto his face when he felt the first wet drop land against his arm before another one followed; "Sorry, but I promised myself I could cry if I came back." she gave another sniff and he laughed. "You're not supposed to laugh when your girlfriends bawling her eyes out!" she pinched the inside of his elbow and he laughed again, earning himself another pinch.

"Sorry, but I kinda missed your pinches, too." He told her soothingly, kissing the top of her head as she continued to cry in his arms. The small tearful giggle she gave sounded like little fairy bells and he crossed his arms over her, grasping her shoulders before he bent his head and pressed a kiss over a brownish red mark on her shoulder, "I covered you again, huh?"

She sniffed and nodded before laughing, "You missed a couple of spots, though." she informed him, her voice wavering though shaky breaths, "I made sure to give you a lot, I won't apologize because you didn't the first time, either." he laughed and loosened his hold enough to look down at his chest, seeing six marks across his chest and stomach right off, "There's some on your neck, too."

"Good." He hoped there were so many that he couldn't even count them and, just because he could, he latched onto her shoulder and sucked for a long few seconds before licking the skin and gazing proudly down to the newest mark near the back of her neck. She gave him another laugh for his efforts and her hand came up to smooth over the now blemished skin, "I'm planning on making more on your stomach tonight, we'll be a matching pair of leopards."

Their laughter was interrupted by a knock on the door and they both turned to look at it, "You both decent yet?" he heard Chett's voice ask loudly before he knocked again, "Come on, I've waited all day and I want my pie!"

Juniper laughed loudly at that and Once-ler didn't bother holding back his own amused smile when the knocking bean earnestly, "Really, guys, come on! I worked hard for my pie." The whine inspired more giggles from Juniper and he let her go so she could get up from the bed again to pad quietly to the closet and peek inside, "Guys?"

"Wait a moment, we're not ready!" Once-ler yelled, stretching his arms over his head before standing as well and running over to the nude girl and wrapping an arm around her hips to reach in himself and grab out his old gray striped slacks and soft white shirt. He didn't bother with underwear, but Juniper wasn't so casual and escaped his hold to retrieve a pair of panties from his dresser before slipping into her clothes as well.

Or, rather, one of his newer dress shirts and a pair of simple blue shorts that he could only just make out from the bottom of his shirt. "Don't like your clothes anymore?"

She grinned at him and lifted an arm so she could kiss the white fabric over it, "I like yours, it's like wearing one of your hugs." she told him and he grabbed his heart dramatically before stumbling to the door and opening it to see both of his brothers waiting.

"What's wrong?" Brett asked as Chett stepped inside and walked over to Juniper to give her a tight spinning hug, eliciting more giggles out of the blonde.

Once-ler shook his head, "She's killing me with love." he joked and shut the door once Brett stepped in to get a look at her as well. "Looks familiar, doesn't she?"

Brett nodded, "She looks kind of like a fairy."

* * *

Juniper happily hummed a tune as Once-ler lazily picked at his guitar on his mattress, Brett and Chett were hovering on either side of her as his mother sat at the table and made rude remarks that would have normally set her off. "I'm so happy right now." she gave a sniff, feeling the burning creeping back to her eyes and shaking it off, "Why am I so happy when the hag's trying so hard to make me angry and your brothers are bothering me with pie orders?"

Before he could answer his mother huffed from the table, "How would anyone be able to answer that question? Lord knows how that tiny little mind of yours works." Juniper laughed and nodded in agreement, not able to deny that statement at all in her current state. Isabella gave surprised her by laughing, "I am happy you're back though; as stupid as you are it seems that without you Oncie's just a hopeless fool bent on self destruction."

Chett and Brett laughed beside her, reaching out to dip their fingers into the unbaked pies she'd set aside while the oven heated and she slapped them both away, "Don't do that!" she snapped, trying in vane to keep the smile on her face from growing, "Nobody wants your germs in their mouths, go wash your hands or something."

"After all the trouble we went though to bring you back you could at least let me have a taste." Chett whined, yelping when a pillow was thrown at his head and turning to give Once-ler a glare, "Well she could."

"Why do you think she's making that many?" Once-ler asked, putting his guitar down to walk up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist. She grinned when he pressed his face to her shoulder and kissed one of the many love bites he'd left all over her body before counting the unbaked pies lined up on the small counter, "You're going to have her in here all day!"

Chett shrugged and walked over to sit on the other chair at the table, "Not like you two have any plans-"

"As a matter of fact I was planning on going to town today." Once-ler shot back smugly and Juniper looked over her shoulder at him flatly. She didn't want to go to town, she'd rather stay home and bake her pies for her family; he seemed to sense that and grinned at her, "You're going to marry me today."

His mother spit coffee over the table and into Chett's face, who fell back over his chair and yelped in disgusted shock, wiping it off with his sleeve, "Why'd you do that?"

"You can't get married without telling anyone!" His mother snapped, ignoring the question. Juniper blankly looked at his smiling face before slowly returning it with her own happy grin, "How are we supposed to prepare a wedding in such a... Oh no you don't! You will not!" She slapped the table and stood up angrily, "There needs to be a reception! A ceremony! At _least_ a dress!"

"I'll go get my shoes!" Juniper squealed, running over to the side of the bed and picking up her dirty mud caked shoes to consider them before dropping them back onto the ground and fetching her flip-flops from the bottom of the closet.

"Absolutely not!"

"Can you guys bring back some ice cream while you're out?" Brett asked, pointing at an apple pie with a hopeful grin and Chett bobbed his head in agreement.

"You guys have to come, too, we'll need witnesses." Once-ler stated, stuffing his feet into his comfortable black shoes. He was at the door with a large smile on his face when she turned around to grab a hair tie, remembering her mother's warning about loose hair at weddings, when Isabella suddenly threw herself in front of the door and clamped her hands around the frame with a dark look on her face.

"You're not honestly considering going into _that_ town, are you?" She stated lowly, drawing everyone's attention to her sharply. Juniper frowned, not understanding whatsoever what would be wrong with them going into town before spotting the suddenly knowing faces of Chett and Brett. "Those people are after your blood, Once-ler, it's why I'm telling you right now that you at least need to call the justice of the peace here."

"What's wrong with the town?" She asked curiously and Once-ler coughed, his eyes darting away from hers as he tugged nervously at his collar, "What did you do?"

"He broke everything." Chett answered, earning himself a mulish glare from Once-ler for it and he shrugged, going back to sitting in his chair, "Well, I helped, too."

"What do you mean he broke everything?" She asked, scrunching her face and arching an eyebrow disbelievingly. How could one man break everything? "What did you do?" She turned to see him scratching the back of his neck, giving her a slight shrug and coughing. She repeated her question and he turned his eyes on hers, giving a pleading look.

"I may have opened a few factories while you were away and created a large demand for Thneeds." He hedged and his mother gave an incredulous laugh. He shot her a look and sighed, "Then I encouraged everyone to do some stupid things-"

"And he blew up the factories because he wanted you back." His mother huffed and stepped away from the door once she was sure nobody would try leaving with a shake of her head, "I didn't know what he was going on about; how would ruining the business bring you back?" she wondered, giving them both a curious look suddenly, "How _did_ it bring you back?" she blinked and advanced on them both, "Just why couldn't I remember you when I dislike you so much?"

Juniper ignored her, though, and watched as Once-ler shrugged his shoulders, "I wanted you back and figured if I hurt them enough in return for hurting us they'd give you back just to stop me." he explained to her. "I ruined their world like they tried to ruin mine and in the end I blew up all the factories I had built to encourage demand of the Thneed after making sure everyone was addicted to it and the fame the received for doing stupid things with it." he suddenly grinned and crossed his arms over his chest, "They were doing some _really_ stupid things, too. All I had to do was tell them to find their own uses for it and they did the rest themselves."

Juniper shook her head, still not understanding but decided it didn't matter, "The forest is alright, though, right?"

"For the most part, as I've said I blew up the factories so the small amount of damage it did take will be all healed up in a matter of months." He snapped his fingers and sent her a proud smirk, "I did it all with Mustache's consent and got you back, I'd do it against without thinking twice, no regrets."

She blinked at him before shaking her head, "So we're not getting married today?" she asked in disappointment, not caring about the why's. If he felt he had to 'break everything' then that's just what he had to do, but it was disheartening to think you were getting married one moment and found out you're not the next.

He gave her a bitter smile and held up a finger, "Okay, there might be one regret." he sighed and she nodded. "But that doesn't mean we're not." he hurried and pulled out his phone with a grin and calling city hall, "Yeah, I need a justice of the peace, I want to marry my girlfriend!" He nodded to her with a large smile and she returned it, "Yes, well, they'll need to come here; we're kind of unable to go to town..." he frowned and she quirked a brow, "Er, well, that's kind of difficult to answer... Uh, yeah, this is Once-ler."

He suddenly flinched and held up another finger, walking back towards the bathroom and locking himself inside to carry on the conversation. Juniper looked over at the other three people in the tent who were rolling their eyes and shaking their heads and she sighed, "So, hag, you were talking about making plans?" The woman smiled in satisfaction, pleased enough about Juniper's consent to a formal wedding that she let the name fly past without complaint.

"I'll start making calls, sweetie." She stated happily, pulling her own phone out of her pocket as Juniper flinched at the endearment, Once-ler was going to owe her big. Walking over to the oven she pulled it open, tested the temperature, and placed two pies inside.

Oh well, she wanted to stay home and bake pies for her family, anyhow.

… Not as much as she wanted to merry the dummy in the bathroom, though.

* * *

"I'm sorry." Once-ler moped, his head on his arms as he sat at the table in the now pie scented house as he pouted at his kitchen table. He'd spent two hours on the phone trying to convince even one judge to come to the forest and marry he and Juniper, but even the one's who held no grudges against him were unwilling to go through the protestors by the gate.

Juniper sighed, "I'm not angry, Once, I'm happy to be with you." he looked over his arms as she bent to remove her fifth pie from the oven and put it on top of the stove before sliding the next two in. She closed the oven door and leaned out the window to holler at his brothers who were busily tossing a plastic football he'd gotten them some time ago to keep them from going after the bar-ba-loots.

"I really wanted to get married." He sighed, looking at her pleadingly. She looked back at him with an amused quirk of her eyes and he kicked at a table leg. "And mom's in the RV making all those calls... It's going to take forever, weeks... Months... Not years." he growled the end and narrowed his eyes determinedly. If he had to drive across the country and get tickets to fly around the world with a bag over his head, it would not take years.

She sighed and walked over to his side to lean onto his back and press a kiss to the back of his neck, "It's okay, Once, we're still together and it's just a piece of paper, anyways."

"It's a piece of paper I wanted to hang in our house." He mumbled and jerked his thumb to the completed house just a short distance away and she giggled. He pouted at her more and she ran her fingers through his hair, "Ah, now that's not fair." he groaned, closing his eyes to enjoy the slight scratching of her nails and she stopped. "I didn't say I didn't like it." she laughed and restarted his head scratch and he sighed.

When she stopped again and kissed his temple he stretched across the table and laid there, "Well now I feel bad again." she laughed and he looked at her, "It's not funny, I was planning on marrying you first thing so we could move into the house and celebrate all over the place."

She laughed so hard at that she had to hold onto the back of his chair, "I'm not going to worry about it. Your mom promised it wouldn't take more than two weeks." she tried comforting him, but he shrugged it off and sighed, sitting up from the table and groaning before reaching for her and ducking his head into her stomach to give a whine. "Now you're just acting like a baby."

"I know, is it making me more lovable?"

"No." She stated and he looked up at her to see the teasing grin before she kissed him lightly, "You're already at your most lovable, if you want to expand on that then you'll have to do so over time." he laughed and brought her down for another kiss when the door opened and the Lorax walked in, "Hi Fuzz-Ball."

"Welcome back, Doll-Face." He responded casually before opening his arms. Juniper grinned and leaned down to hug him, "Took your sweet time coming back, didn't you? You even missed Beanpole's meltdown, for a bit there I thought he was going to start wearing your shoes around the tent."

Once-ler frowned at him, "I was not!"

"Came close to it." The guardian chortled and Once-ler frowned at Juniper when she gave a soft snicker. She shrugged and came over to sit on his lap, patting his knee comfortingly, "He was really eying your black ones with the spiky things."

"I wasn't!" Once-ler snapped, hugging Juniper around her stomach and kicking out at the Lorax who grinned at him. Growing irate with him Once-ler shot him a smirk, "Did try on the panties, though." the smirk turned to a gaping look of horror and Juniper stared at him before realizing he was joking and rolled her eyes.

The guardian shook his had, "That's some sense of humor you've got there, Beanpole." he looked at Juniper who shrugged to show she had no control over him and the fuzzy guy leaned back in his chair and looked at them both seriously, "I'm telling your brothers you were wearing her panties." he finally stated.

* * *

Once-ler tapped his fingers on his arm impatiently as his mother fretted over her reflection before finally sighing and pushing her away from the mirror, "Aren't you supposed to be bothering Juniper? I thought you were worried about her dress." he adjusted his green white tie and tilted his head, admiring the white suit and green button down shirt she'd brought for him to wear. "There's going to be pictures, right?" she nodded and he smirked before picking up the white fedora and smoothing his fingers against the green band, "If Juniper looks half as good as me then we're going to have some fine pictures to hang on our walls."

His mother huffed and pushed him out of the bathroom, "Would you stop? I need to do my hair, you're finished already." he blinked at the much smaller woman before throwing his hands up and shaking his head, giving up and walking over to where Chett sat at the small rectangle table of the RV and shaking his head.

"What were you expecting?" Chett asked humorously before sitting back and scratching under the collar of his reversed matching suit, "This itches!"

"Don't you dare put scratch marks on yourself before the pictures are taken!" Their mother snapped from the bathroom and he jumped to attention, shooting a shocked look at Once-ler who smirked at him. Served him right for laughing at him. "Once-ler, why do I see green socks under my sink?" his smile fell and Chett took possession of it on his own face, "Just because we can't see them doesn't mean you don't have to wear them!"

He shook his head and stood up, walking to the bathroom and holding his hand out for the socks, "They must have dropped off the pile." he excused himself when they were dropped into his waiting palm. He took them back with him and stuffed them in the trash can; he flat out refused to wear itchy socks on his wedding day and no amount of nagging was going to change his mind. He pointed to a still smirking Chett, "Don't say a word, I don't want to be scratching at my feet when Juniper walks down the isle."

Chett held up his hand and crossed a finger over his heart, "I still don't think it's fair that I can't see Juniper." he slouched back in his chair before remembering his suit and straightening up to keep the wrinkles from the fabric. "Luck has nothing to do with us."

"Yep, it wasn't lucky at all that she fell from the sky and landed practically in your lap." Chett teased, slowly leaning back and crossing his arms, Once-ler half suspected it was because he couldn't but let both matters drop to give him a smug grin and a jerked nod. "If I was you I'd be following everything mom says you need to follow because you and Juni don't really have the best of luck."

That was true. He looked at the trash bin and frowned before getting up and taking them back out; "I'm not wearing them, though." He stated, inspecting them to make sure they were still clean before putting one in each pocket. They bulged slightly and he frowned, "Can you tell they're there?"

"Oh yeah." He muttered and took them out, "Well where... Wait." He took stuffed them between his waist line behind his back, making sure they stayed outside the tucked shirt and arched a questioning brow, "Better."

He nodded and went to sit back down when his mother came out looking the same as she'd gone in and looked at his back, "Are those your socks?"

"They itch!"

She rolled her eyes and pulled them from his clothes, "Well if you're not going to _wear_ them then don't wear them!" she sighed, shaking her head, "Men... You don't stuff socks in your pants on your wedding day, people will think I've raised an idiot." she tossed them onto the table top and brushed her hands against each other, "Now it's time for you to go to the alter, I'll go check on Juniper and we'll get this wedding started!" She clapped her hands excitedly before hurrying out of the RV.

He looked over at Chett and nodded, "Got the ring?"

"Yep."

* * *

Juniper looked over at Brett as Isabella puffed the large green and white lace dress, fretting over the matching veil before stuffing a white flower into the green lace, "There! You look beautiful." she complimented, making Juniper's mouth drop open. "Close your mouth, sweetie, you'll make people think my son's marrying a fly trap."

Her mouth snapped closed and she rolled her eyes as Brett chuckled, "For a second I was honestly worried you were kidnapped by aliens and replaced by a robot." she stated flatly as the older woman went back to fluffing her skirts. "Guess I can't even have _that_ on my wedding day."

She felt a pinch on her thigh for her teasing and yelped, but otherwise kept her mouth shut, "You lucky I could find a dress that covers up all your _bug bites_... Now wait, I thought I told you to put foundation over this one." she jabbed the mark near the back of Juniper's neck, "It's going to show in the pic-"

"That's the point." Juniper sniffed, lifting her chin defiantly, "I want it to show for luck."

Isabella opened her mouth to argue before stopping herself and giving a thoughtful nod, "You two do need all the luck you can get." she stated after a moment and took off her bead bracelet and put it onto Juniper's wrist, "There, that should do just fine." she sighed and touched the beads gently before smiling into Juniper's eyes, "You know, Oncie's daddy gave me those."

Juniper's eyes widened and she regarded the large glass beads with new respect, "Yes, when he gave them to me he said, 'Izzy, always take care of yourself because your heart is as fragile as these glass beads and I'll never forgive you if they break'." she lifted Juniper's wrist and pressed a kiss on the beads before sniffing, "He was such a _good_ man..."

"He sounds like it." Juniper agreed, touching the beads gently before smiling at the older blonde, "Thank you very much, I'll return them to you right after Once-ler and I exchange vows." she blushed happily at the thought and released a giddy little giggle, hugging Isabella tightly because she was the closest thing that was hug-able and the beads made her want to cry. "I won't let anything happen to your beads."

"See that you don't, I won't have Eddy yelling at me when it's my turn to go." She told the younger girl before tilting her head and frowning slightly, "I think he'd like you."

That earned the woman another hug, "I have no idea why you're being so nice to me right now, but thank you so much."

"Yes, well... You're welcome, dear." She patted Juniper's back awkwardly and Juniper stood up and sniffed, "Get a tissue! You'll ruin your makeup and I'll never be able to get the mascara off your face enough to not show up in the pictures." she dabbed a tissue to the younger woman's eyes, collecting the tears neatly before nodding. "There now... New, old, borrowed... Blue, we need blue."

Juniper scrunched her nose; so far she'd already found a spider in her dress thanks to the woman putting it in there, was forced to shove a sugar cube in _both_ of her gloves, prevented from taking even a single step backwards the entire day, convinced to change the day of the wedding from a Friday to a Wednesday, and just last week she had to feed a cat out of her shoe for some reason. "Ah, here we are!" She was now threading a blue ribbon through Juniper's styled hair before standing back and shaking her head, "If only you two would change the color!"

"Well it's a bit late for that, isn't it?" Brett joked before laughing; Juniper sealed her lips, though she did think it was funny. The woman was trying so hard to give as much luck as possible that it was sweet and endearing and she didn't want it to end. "Green's Once-ler's favorite color-"

"Married in green, ashamed to be seen." Isabella snapped, but sighed and shook her head, "But you both do look so nice in it, and there's plenty of white to make up for it so I suppose it will have to do." Juniper sighed gratefully as the older woman finally produced a needle and held it high, "Okay, Juniper, get your bouquet and I'll finish your dress."

Nodding she reached over and accepted the flowers that Brett held out to her, touching the wreath that matched the wreath in her hair holding her veil in place as Isabella knelt and did the final stitch of the dress, giving a large sniff. "You know, as much as I dislike you I can't help be be happy my son has found himself such a fine woman."

The compliment made no sense but Juniper beamed anyway and Isabella fluffed the veil over her head and around her face, smiling through the shimmering lace, "Perfect." Juniper nodded and went to leave the tent when suddenly she felt a pinch on her elbow and barely restrained a pained yelp, turning to look at her future mother-in-law with wide eyes, "You were too happy, dear; people who are too happy can be cursed by evil spirits."

"Oh, thank you." More nonsense that she was happy to hear and as she watched Isabella gather her dress while Brett gave a quick departing air kiss near her veiled cheek she hiccuped, "I mean it, really... Thank you, mama."

The woman froze, blinking at the younger girl before her lip trembled, "You are _very_ welcome, sweetheart." she sucked in a breath, and nodded for Juniper to start walking.

* * *

Once-ler twitched and tried not to pull at his collar again, looking over at Chett, "What time is it?" the other man rolled his eyes, "Really, mom will make us wait another half hour if we're even a minute late, what time is it?"

"It's still six-thirty." Chett sighed, looking at the silver pocket watch in his pocket and shaking his head, "She's full on about this good luck stuff."

Once-ler nodded, but was secretly grateful for all the work his mother had put into his wedding day. She had spared all of her time and had shown a fierce dominance to any who dared show even a single hint of opposition to any of either his or Juniper's desires. Expenses had been ignored, traditions held close in each and every decision made to ensure only the best luck possible. She had even chosen the shade of green they wore for the hint of blue it contained, claiming that pure green was just not acceptable.

He licked his lips and turned to Chett, "What time is it?"

The older man sighed and ignored him and Once-ler twitched a bit more... What was taking so long? Had something happened? "She's coming, right?"

"No, she ran off with Brett." Chett sighed, "I'm sure they'll be very happy together."

"That's not remotely funny!" Once-ler snapped, straightening his jacket and sighing, "Okay, it was a little funny." Chett laughed and the younger man decided a small smile wouldn't hurt anything. "What time is it?"

Chett turned an annoyed look to him and he blushed, "Sorry." he mumbled, coughing around his embarrassment and licking his lips nervously when he spotted Brett jogging up the isle. He stiffened, "Now?"

"Unless mom's waiting for a flock of geese to show up, then yeah." Brett nodded, reaching over and straightening the white tie around his brother's neck, "You're gonna love the way she looks." he promised before stepping over next to his twin.

Was she waiting for a flock of geese? Was that another superstition? He looked up; was geese a good thing or a bad thing? The music sounded and he sighed his relief, looking down the flower lined isle. The seats were filled with people he didn't really know, but they didn't want to kill him and that was a plus he hadn't thought he'd get. The one thing he hadn't wanted was for even one glare to look upon either Juniper or himself; not one negative thought to even cross a single mind as they exchanged their vows.

He had enough to think about, anyhow, what with his mother insisting they reopen a single Thneed factory closer to town to 'repair their names' with. It was going to be difficult enough just...

Juniper had come into his line of vision and all thought ceased as he finally got to look at her in her full wedding outfit. Mainly white with bits of green lace tucked into the bodice and skirt matched his suit, a large circle of flowers carried in front with large orange lilies and tiny white baby's breath that he knew would also be in her hair only because he'd overheard his mother insist upon it just two weeks ago.

She was taking slow measured steps, pausing between each, and he had the insane urge to run down and drag her to the alter as quickly as possible when he heard Chett sigh. He wanted to push him over, but it was difficult to do much of anything when he couldn't even blink and had to remind himself to breath as she neared.

She was only a few steps away when his arm came up on it's own, reaching out to her without meaning to; he wasn't supposed to reach for her. He was suppose to wait patiently until she stepped to his side so he could lift her veil. His mother had told him repeatedly, pressing the importance in such serious tones that he'd sworn up and down that he wouldn't screw it up.

He'd screwed it up!

Her hand reached out for his, her silk gloved fingers trembling slightly. He didn't think twice about tightening his grip, and bringing the small hand up to press a kiss against her knuckles before helping her up the small step that separated them. The Lorax harrumphed and tried to gain his attention, but he kept his eyes firmly on the girl before him, and everything after that simply stopped.

He could make out the blue of her eyes through the veil and stared into them as he continued holding her hand even as she turned to hand his mother her flowers to hold. "Lift the veil, Oncie." He heard Chett cough loudly, making many in their audience chuckle as he tried to clumsily tried lift the veil with one hand, "Both hands might make it easier." Chett sighed and he blushed, but managed just as well with one hand when Juniper helped as well and he was finally able to see her.

Her make up was light, but the mascara brought out the blue in her eyes and the soft pink gloss on her lips looked sweet enough to eat and he wondered if it would really be all that bad if he kissed her before he was told... Probably. He couldn't tempt fate anymore than he'd already had, remembering that it was already against them in the first place. "Oncie, pay attention!" Chett snapped again and he jumped, shaking his head.

"God you're beautiful." he breathed out, jumping when he felt a sudden jab in his back, "Sorry, yes." he nodded his head. He tried to turn and focus on the Lorax, but his eyes kept straying over to the slim blonde at his side who's eyes kept straying to him, "We're all gathered here to see these two idiots join in holy matrimony-"

"Do it right or I'll end you!" He heard his mother whisper sharply and a quick look at her proved that she was perfectly capable of following through with her words. He reconsidered her threat level and looked back at the Lorax, who seemed to be in agreement with him and cleared his throat.

"Er, yes..." Appearing actually frightened that the woman would thrash him as badly as her eyes were promising the Lorax took a large breath and restarted, "We are here today to bare witness to the union of these two young lovers as they embark on a new path together. Many tears have been shed, many laughs shared, many hardships over come, and I believe it when I say that a love like theirs is what many can only ever hope to see once every few thousand years."

The Lorax looked at them and smiled gently, "Please turn to face each other." he moved his feet and reached for Juniper's other hand which she placed tightly to his own. "They shall speak their vows to each other before exchanging rings." he stated just a little to loudly and his mother coughed threateningly before he nodded to Once-ler to show he could start.

However everything he had written down and had practiced saying in the mirror everyday for the past few weeks left his head. He licked his lips and shook his head, opening and closing his mouth twice before seeing her eyes dim slightly and felt the trembling return to her fingers, "I like your smile." he breathed, rubbing small circles against the back of her palms, "The way it starts with just a small little lift and grows like the morning sun across the sky." he shook his head again, "If I could only see just that for the rest of my life I would not be disappointed."

As he spoke the smile appeared on her face and he couldn't help but return it, "I like your eyes, such a deep tranquil blue that all I have to do is look in them and know peace. I like the way you comb your fingers in my hair when you know I'm upset and how you do your weird shuffle pace thing when you're flustered." her smile widened more and he stepped closer to her, "But what I like most of all," he breathed, loving how her eyes sparkled happily at him as he spoke, "is that I knew I could never live without you before I even knew you."

She gave a watery laugh and sniffed, laughing again as his mother came up to press a tissue into her fingers and she turned slightly to dab at her eyes, making his heart swell. When she turned back her eyes were still watering, "I like your hands," she finally started, her voice trembling slightly. "the way your fingers will brush against my cheek before you kiss me has never failed to melt my heart and I doubt it ever will." she shook her head, smiling at him, "I like how you always look ahead, working towards your goals and your dreams with everything that you have no matter what anyone says."

She took a step closer to him and looked down at his hands for a moment and sighed, "I like your determination; the way you would even go against the gods to fight for me makes my heart feel like it's been broken and rebuilt just for you... In fact, I'm sure that it has." she gave a small giggle and he grinned, "But most of all, I like how I knew I knew that I loved you more than life itself before I even knew you."

The Lorax cleared is throat, then cleared it again before he was able to talk, and when he did it was in a solemn tone, "The vows have been exchanged, please exchange the rings."

Juniper turned to take the simple golden band from his mother's hand and he reached for it's partner from a tearful Chett, nodding his thanks before turning back around and reaching for her hand, "With this ring I vow to keep you by my side no matter the cost." he swore, slipping it onto her finger easily and staring at it for a moment, "I will protect you with everything I have."

She sniffed and nodded, "With this ring I vow to never forget the love I have for you, even if others try to take it away." she slipped the ring onto his finger and looked into his eyes, "I love you, Once-ler."

He nodded, reaching up to gently wipe away a tear that had leaked from the corner of her eye, "I love you, Juniper." he whispered.

"By the power invested in me, The Mighty Lorax of the Truffula Forest and the guardian of all who dwells within it, I pronounce you husband and wife." Once-ler felt his heart thud in his chest and was already leaning down when his friend continued, "You may kiss the bride."

* * *

Authors Note: THE END! I'm done! I love it, it's finished and it came out SO WELL! I'm doing a victory dance that involves nothing by the booty and I'm loving every second of it. I hope everyone enjoyed reading as much as I did writing!

Good bye and farewell, my friends, until another story brings us together again.

And if any of you ask "Why Eddy" for Once-ler's father's name then I damn you to hell! o.o … Seriously though, you should know that. xD


End file.
